The water provider for the North West has come in for criticism after issues across one town left roads submerged and thousands without supply.
Residents across Bamber Bridge woke on Saturday, 10 January to find no water supply with those living at Brindle Road and Kingsway also having to deal with road closures due to severe flooding outside.
The frustration was compounded when it emerged that residents had reported a more minor leak at the same location on Brindle Road earlier in the week.
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One councillor for the area suggested that under-investment in the water network has contributed to such severe widespread problems on that day.
Brindle Road was closed for a full week while repair work took place and reopened on Saturday (17 January). Water supply was restored to homes by Sunday (11 January).
Cllr Clare Hunter, who represents Bamber Bridge East on South Ribble Borough Council, told Blog Preston: “I feel this is appalling. On the same day that Brindle Road was flooded and subsequently closed, Kingsway at Bamber Bridge also sprung a leak with road closure and then the following day, a leak outside Boots on Station Road. Residents were left without water or limited water, I, myself being one of those residents.
“The under-investment into our utilities, I feel played a major part in this and very slow progress seems to being made to rectify these problems.
“If this water entered houses or caused any damage to any part of their properties, please contact United Utilities regarding compensation. If residents do need help, please do not hesitate to get in touch.”
United Utilities said that such widespread issues – which also affected elsewhere in Lancashire – were due to the severe dip in temperatures earlier this month that resulted in multiple Met Office weather warnings.
They said that they did examine the Brindle Road issue when it was first reported but had to prioritise issues that were causing problems with supply in the immediate sense – which was not the case when it was first reported.
A spokesperson for United Utilities said: “Engineers responded to reports of a burst on Brindle Road in Bamber Bridge on 10 January. To keep the public and our staff safe while we fixed the pipe and reinstated both the road and adjoining footpaths, it was necessary to put in a temporary road closure.
“The road reopened on Saturday (17 January). We are sorry for the disruption this has caused and thank our customers for their patience.”
But the area’s MP feels it is unacceptable to be left for 24 hours without water at a time when bills are rising with the justification that it is required to improve the infrastructure.
Maya Ellis, MP for the Ribble Valley constituency which includes this part of Bamber Bridge, said: “It’s disappointing to hear of the disruption caused by the burst pipe in Bamber Bridge, particularly when I believe residents had reported the problem earlier.
“I understand that United Utilities needs to prioritise its workload but to leave 1,000 households without water suggests that this issue should have been dealt with much sooner.
“At a time when water bills are rising, I understand the frustrations of those living in the area so I’ll be writing to the water company asking for reassurances that this kind of situation will be dealt with much sooner in future.”
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