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Cambridge Water
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DISRUPTION TO THE WATER SUPPLY
From Cambridge Water
Date: 24 August
Time: 3.45pm
Cambridge Water thanks customers for their patience
during burst water main
Cambridge Water is thanking customers for their support and patience after burst water main left 5000 customers without water for several hours.
The incident, which took place at 6am on Monday, 23 August 2010, caused significant problems to the water supply in Fenstanton, Lolworth, Conington, Hilton, Fen Drayton, Swavesey and Over.
Some areas of Longstanton and St Ives were also affected, together with properties and businesses located along the nearby A14 corridor.
Stephen Kay, managing director of Cambridge Water, said: “Fortunately such events are extremely rare - this is the largest burst water main we have had to deal with for more than 25 years.
“I can fully appreciate people’s frustration of not having any water or very little water pressure and I would like to extend my thanks and gratitude to all of our customers for their understanding and patience during the very difficult time.”
As soon as Cambridge Water became aware of the burst main in Hattons Road, Longstanton its priority was to return water supplies to customers as soon as possible.
The involved re-routing some of the water around the burst main, while other villages were granted temporary access to neighbouring Cambridge Water supply zones.
The whole exercise had to be operated in a controlled way to prevent the excessive build-up of air in the network which could have lead to further burst pipes.
This meant many properties were without water for several hours and when supplies were eventually returned many received low pressure for a while as the system took time to refill. Bottled water was delivered by the company to customers listed as having individual needs, as well as those villages which were without supply for the longest period of time.
Mr Kay added “As more and more information became available the Cambridge Water team did their best to update the Cambridge Water website and the media. We also received more than 1300 calls. However, as I am sure you can appreciate this was a very fast-moving situation. Providing accurate and timely advice while trying to resolve the situation was a challenge, but hopefully one we can learn from.”
As of Tuesday afternoon the company reported only a handful of properties along the A14 corridor near Lolworth and Longstanton were without a supply. All of these have been provided with alternative water supplies and the company has been liaising with the individuals concerned to offer guidance and advice.
Mr Kay added: “Work to locate and repair the burst main, which has required pumping out a flooded field, will continue as a matter of urgency. All being well the company is confident this will be completed by Wednesday.”
As supplies are returned to normal customers may experience cloudy or milky water coming through their taps. They may also hear a knocking noise in their water pipes. Both of these are caused by air in the system and the water remains safe to drink.
Anyone who continues to experience problems is advised to contact Cambridge Water on 01223 706050. Further information and advice is available at www.cambridge-water.co.uk.
Q&As relating to this incident
Could the loss of supply lead to any further problems?
When the supply returns the water can be affected by:
· Reduced pressure – this can be caused by air getting temporarily trapped in the system. If this problem persists please contact Cambridge Water on 01223 70 60 50.
· Cloudy/milky water – this is caused by air getting trapped in the system
· Discoloured (brown) water – this is caused by sediment being stirred up in the pipes.
If this is the case wait until later in the day and run your taps for 30 minutes or until it clears, whichever is the sooner. If it does not clear after this time please contact Cambridge Water on 01223 70 60 50. In these instances the water is safe to drink.
I have a knocking or banging noise coming from my pipes. Why is this?
This is known as water hammer. It is caused by pockets of air caught in the water supply as a result of a burst water main. These then bang against the side of the water pipes, causing them to knock or vibrate. This issue should resolve itself once the water pressure in the pipes is sufficient to overcome the trapped air.
Customers’ internal plumbing should be robust enough to withstand interruptions to the water supply. However, if you are concerned your internal plumbing may have been damaged or affected by a supply interruption, you are advised to contact your plumber.
If repairs are subsequently carried out, the plumber should provide you with an invoice that clearly states what repairs have been done and the fact this has been caused as a direct result of problems relating to the burst water main in Longstanton on 23 August 2010.
Will the plumbing at my property be affected?
Customers’ internal plumbing should be robust enough to withstand interruptions to the water supply. However, if you are concerned your internal plumbing may have been damaged or affected by a supply interruption, you are advised to contact your plumber.
If repairs are subsequently carried out, the plumber should provide you with an invoice that clearly states what repairs have been done and the fact this has been caused as a direct result of problems relating to the burst water main in Longstanton on 23 August 2010.
This should be forwarded on to Cambridge Water for consideration.
Will Cambridge Water be paying compensation for water I have used to flush my water pipes?
If you are a metered customer and were required to flush your water pipes to clear them of discoloured or aerated water, you may be entitled to compensation.
Typically this will equate to one cubic metre (equivalent to one hour flushing of a number of taps in the property).
For further details please call 01223 706050.
Cambridge Water does not pay compensation to unmetered customers who were required to flush their water pipes, as the bill is not affected by the amount of water that has been used.
Will Cambridge Water be paying compensation for the fact I was without water?
Cambridge Water apologises for the disruption the burst main at Longstanton caused to its customer’s water supply on August 23, 2010. The company is responsible for 2400km of water mains, which like all water pipes can burst at any time without prior warning or means of identification.
Fortunately, bursts on large mains that cause widespread disruption, such as the one at Longstanton, happen very infrequently.
Because it is not possible to plan for a major incident such as this, and in recognition of the fact that such incidents on strategic mains like the one at Longstanton take longer to resolve, the company is not required to pay compensation for loss of supply under its Guaranteed Standards of Service Scheme, provided the supply is restored within 48 hours. If you believe your property was without water for longer than this as a result of the burst main you should contact us on 01223 706050.
I run a business/organisation that had to close/suffered financial loss because of the lack of water. Will you be paying me compensation?
Cambridge Water apologises for the disruption the burst main at Longstanton caused to its customer’s water supply on August 23, 2010. The company is responsible for 2400km of water mains, which like all water pipes can burst at any time without prior warning or means of identification.
Fortunately, bursts on large mains that cause widespread disruption, such as the one at Longstanton, happen very infrequently.
Because it is not possible to plan for a major incident such as this, and in recognition of the fact that such incidents on strategic mains like the one at Longstanton take longer to resolve, the company is not required to pay compensation for loss of supply under its Guaranteed Standards of Service Scheme provided the supply is restored within 48 hours. If you believe your property was without water for longer than this as a result of the burst main you should contact us on 01223 706050.
If you run a commercial undertaking or an organisation that relies on the water supply to carry out its business, we would advise you to consider installing water storage. We do not pay compensation for planned or emergency work, however, we do try to minimise the inconvenience for businesses.
Ends
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