Flintshire water supply may not return until late Friday
Welsh Water says it does not expect water supplies in parts of Flintshire to return to normal until late Friday evening as repairs continue on a major burst main in Broughton.
Water supplies are being disrupted in Flint, Holywell, Ffynnongroyw, Greenfield, Llanerch y Mor, Mostyn, Oakenholt, Talacre, Whitford, Queensferry, Shotton, Connah’s Quay, Garden City, Hawarden, Mancot and Sandycroft.
In an open letter to customers, Chief Executive Peter Perry apologised for the “challenging and frustrating” situation and acknowledged the inconvenience caused, especially for those who experienced issues the previous weekend.
Mr Perry explained that the burst happened on Saturday 9 August on the main drinking water pipe feeding north Flintshire. “Our team carried out a temporary repair in order to restore water supplies as quickly as possible. This allowed us to refill the network with the aim of giving us enough storage time to go back and complete the permanent repair without any impact on supplies,” he said.
He added that the decision to attempt the temporary repair was taken with the heatwave in mind, to keep system storage of treated water as high as possible to meet increased demand. “Unfortunately, the temporary repair didn’t hold long enough for the system to fully replenish. This meant that we had to start an emergency repair last night.”
[Welsh Water map shows a large number of Flintshire communities impacted by the burst water main.]
The Chief Executive described the repair as “challenging” due to the pipe being five metres underground, in difficult ground conditions, and close to electric cables which require extra care. “Our teams are working tirelessly to carry out the repair safely and as soon as they can so that supplies can be restored to homes and businesses in the area,” he said.
Mr Perry said a fleet of tankers is moving water around the network to minimise disruption and supplies are being maintained to two hospitals and 20 care homes. “We have set up several bottled water stations and would like to thank all customers for their patience at the collection points and all the volunteers who helped at the sites.”
Bottled water stations are open at:
• Jade Jones Pavilion, Flint CH6 5ER
• Park and Ride Car Park, Deeside Industrial Park, CH5 2NY
• County Hall Car Park, Mold CH7 6NF
Public health advice
Public Health Wales is urging residents to:
• Stay hydrated by drinking the usual amount of water, especially in warm weather, and ensure young children and older people drink enough
• Maintain hand hygiene by washing with soap and water, or using alcohol hand gel, before preparing food, after using the toilet and after changing nappies
• For baby formula, use only bottled water supplied by Welsh Water, boil it and allow it to cool before use – supermarket bottled water may contain too much sodium
• Reuse water from cooking or washing-up to flush toilets and consider safe alternatives such as garden water butts
Business closure guidance
Flintshire Council has reminded businesses that if a workplace’s water supply is interrupted, they must close until the issue is resolved.
Without water, employers cannot provide adequate toilet and hand washing facilities or drinking water as required by law. The council says this is especially important in food businesses, beauty salons, and skin piercing or other special procedure premises where hygiene standards are critical.
Compensation
Welsh Water has confirmed customers will receive automatic compensation once supplies are restored. Household customers will get £30 for every 12 hours without supply, while businesses will receive £75 for every 12 hours and can also claim for loss of income.
“I would like to thank all those who have supported us, including local residents, customers, businesses, and the volunteers who have helped during this incident,” Mr Perry wrote. “Please accept my sincerest apologies for the disruption that has been caused. We will conduct a full review of the incident and all aspects of our response.”
Further information on compensation claims will be available on the Welsh Water website once the incident ends.
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