Repair work continues as water supply returns to parts of south Telford
Severn Trent says the majority of customers in south Telford should now have water as work to repair a burst pipe continues.
The pipe burst at around 4am yesterday in the Brookside area of Telford, causing issues for customers in TF3, TF4, TF7 and TF8 and some customers in the Much Wenlock area also experienced low pressure or no water coming from their taps.
The 21-inch pipe is underground and close to a high pressure gas main which means the repair is a complex procedure.
Poor weather conditions through the night made repair work difficult for Severn Trent. Engineers say they are working closely with Cadent to make sure the repair takes place without causing any damage to their nearby gas pipe.
Bottled water was last night and today made available in Ironbridge and Madeley. 120,000 litres of free bottled water is again being handed out at Tesco in Madeley and at the Museum of the Gorge car park in Ironbridge. Bottled water is also available from William Brookes School in Much Wenlock and Birchmeadow Park, Broseley.
The repairs have resulted in the A4169 Lightmoor Bypass being closed between Castlefields Roundabout and Jiggers Bank Roundabout.
The A442 (Eastern Primary) is closed in a southbound direction between Stirchley Interchange and the junction with the A4169. A diversion is in operation through Halesfield.
A Severn Trent spokesperson said: "The repair has been particularly tricky as the 21-inch pipe is very deep underground and, before we could start to dig, we had to cut back nearby trees.
"We've been working hard through the night to get customers back on supply by moving water around our pipes in a different way to normal. We've also been using a fleet of 25 tankers to inject water directly into our network. We have to be careful when we do this so that we don't cause wider issues but we think this should return water to a number of customers this morning.
"We're continuing to work closely with the emergency services and with local councils to get the bottle drops organised and would like to thank them for their help.
"Our work may result in lower pressure than normal for some customers and there is the possibility that supplies may be a bit murky, which is nothing to worry about and is just a result of the way we're moving our water around the pipes, although we understand that you might not want to drink it.
"Our call centre teams are working hard to answer everyone's calls but volumes have been high so it may take longer than normal for us to answer, for which we'd like to apologise. We've been in regular contact with our priority customers, who might not be able to get out to the shops or who might need water to live, to make sure they have all the water they need. We've also been in touch with local care homes to make sure they've got all the supplies they need, and have been working with councils and healthcare providers and keeping them fully informed."
The following schools were closed today:
- John Fletcher of Madeley Primary
- Haughton School - The Base at C.Webb is open
- Madeley Nursery School
- William Reynolds Primary School
- Sir Alexander Fleming Primary School
- John Randall Primary
- Woodlands Primary
- John Wilkinson in Broseley
- Barrow 1618
Showering facilities opened for those without water
The following sites will be open for anyone without water to use showering facilities for free.
- Horsehay Golf and Fitness Centre – until 5pm today
- Phoenix Sports and Leisure Centre, Dawley 5pm – 10pm
Cllr Rae Evans, cabinet member with responsibility for civil resilience, said: “I know many people have managed to visit family or friends to get around the issue, but if you’ve not been able to, you’ll be very welcome to come and use the facilities at these sites.
“We continue to work closely with Severn Trent to help the communities without water and our thanks to everyone for pulling together and helping each other - it is great to see.
“If you know of anyone, particularly our more vulnerable residents who are unable to get to these locations, please ask them if they need a lift.”
Sarah Bentley of Severn Trent has made a video about the issues in Telford
