Manchester United failed to fix Old Trafford roof despite knowledge of leaks

Manchester United failed to fix a hole in the Old Trafford roof despite being aware that it was prone to sporadic leaks, as occurred at the end of the 1-0 defeat against Arsenal on Sunday.

While it is understood United accept there are faults in the stadium covering that allowed rain to get through on Sunday and previous occasions, the club deny that the large cascade of water pouring from the southwest corner at the Stretford End was due to a leak in the roof. Instead this was because of the huge volume of precipitation that fell which entered a siphonic roof drainage system and caused this to overflow.

In the two hours after the final whistle was blown at around 6.20pm a total of 41mm of rain fell, 25mm of which occurred in the opening half-hour. This is 29mm more than all of the corresponding month of last year and close to the UK national average rainfall for May.

It is thought that while United have examined the feasibility of replacing the roof and this remains an option it would be a multi-million-pound cost with sizeable operational considerations. Any decision is linked intrinsically to the redevelopment options for the stadium, a process that began more than two years ago and gained momentum with the formation in March of the taskforce considering all regeneration options.