Water supplies back on in south Telford following burst
Severn Trent says that water supplies are back on for customers in south Telford, but some may experience low pressure.
Engineers have been working through the night and the repair on the pipe is now complete. Work is now beginning to put the large pipe back into supply. Severn Trent says that the operation may take some time to complete with tankers continuing to bring water into the area for now.
The pipe burst at around 4am on Sunday 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 was a complex procedure.
A Severn Trent spokesperson said: "While we have now managed to get the water supply back on for the vast majority of our customers, some of our customers may have intermittent supply during peak times, and so we can make sure everyone has the water they need, we will be providing bottled water again at Tesco in Madeley, TF7 5AB, the Museum of the Gorge car park in Ironbridge, TF8 7DQ, and Birchmeadow Park in Broseley, TF12 5NS from 7.30am this morning.
"The repair has been particularly tricky as the 21-inch pipe was very deep underground and, before we could start to dig, we had to cut back nearby trees and remove an 18ft section of pipe and replace it. So we'd like to thank everyone for their continued patience and understanding as we continue with our work.
"While we work to get the network back to normal, some of our customers may have lower pressure than normal or may experience that their supply is coming and going. There is also 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, 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.
"We're continuing to work closely with the Local Resilience Forum to get the bottle drops organised and would like to thank them for their help and we're also receiving support from other water companies."
The southbound slip road from the A442 Queensway to the A442 Brockton Way reopened this morning in time for rush hour, it will however close for a time later today to completely remove equipment used to repair the burst.
All schools in the area which were closed yesterday are open today.
Water bottle pick up points will re-open for any people who want free bottled water from 7.30am today.
These are at Tesco car park Madeley, Museum of the Gorge car park in Ironbridge and Birchmeadow Park in Broseley.
Sarah Bentley, Chief Customer Officer at Severn Trent:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/O78zGx3oCJ4?rel=0&showinfo=0
Council leader thanks community, agencies and councillors
Telford & Wrekin Council leader Shaun Davies has thanked the community in south Telford for their patience and resilience in dealing with the loss of water supply over the past couple of days.
Councillor Davies also hailed the efforts by agencies working together to solve the problem and ensuring that residents were kept supplied with bottled water while supplies were off.
He also thanked cabinet members and councillors of all political colours for their tireless work engaging with the community.
Councillor Davies said: “I have always said that Telford’s biggest strength is its community spirit and the last few days have epitomised exactly that.
“I know that it has been an extremely challenging time for all residents whose water supply has been affected but there have been many heartening examples of unsung heroes across south Telford looking after each other and caring for the elderly and vulnerable.
“The whole incident has also demonstrated how effectively agencies work together in times of crisis and I would like to thank all the teams that gave their time, knowledge and skill – both in getting water to residents and in fixing the problem that caused the loss of supply.
“I would also like to thank members of my cabinet including Councillor Rae Evans as well as councillors of all political colours that have engaged with their communities over the past couple of days to help solve problems and minimise disruption – it has truly been a fantastic effort by everyone involved.
“A special mention must also go to Tesco in Madeley, staff and volunteers at the Park Lane Centre in Woodside and at Brookside Central and the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust – all of these have helped provide water pick up points for our residents.”
