SEVERN TRENT
WATER CALLED OUT TO 150 WATER PIPE BURSTS IN TWO WEEKS IN LEICESTER AND
LEICESTERSHIRE, UK
By Leicester
Mercury | Posted: January 05, 2015
By Samantha Fisher
Severn Trent has been busy fixing burst water pipes
across Leicester and Leicestershire
More than 150 water pipes have burst in the past two
weeks in the city and county.
Severn Trent has seen an increase in leaks and bursts
possibly caused by the ground shrinking and expanding as it freezes and thaws
due to changes in temperature.
Severn Trent was called out to a burst water pipe on
Christmas Eve where the team had to work overnight to fix a leak in Packington,
Leicestershire.
Workers also had to battle through the snow on Boxing
Day to bring water to people in Bradgate Street and Blackbird Road, Leicester.
Jayne Dane, customer service duty officer from Severn
Trent Water, said: "We were called out to a block of flats in Bradgate
Street and Blackbird Road where customers had lost their water supply.
“It turned out that the issue was on the property
itself, so we’re unable to fix it and we had to leave that up to the property
maintenance team.
“We couldn’t leave our customers without water, even if
it’s not our responsibility to do the repair, and especially not at Christmas.
“As a gesture of goodwill, our teams of engineers
battled through the heavy snow to deliver free supplies of bottled water to
everyone affected.
“We know it’s not the best situation, but at least the
residents had water to use until the repairs were done.”
One resident affected by the leak said: “A big thank you
to Severn Trent Water for stepping up and getting water to us.
“We do really appreciate what Severn Trent Water has
done.”
A spokeswoman from Severn Trent Water said: “As the
weather has become very cold over the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen a slight
increase in the number of leaks and bursts on water pipes reported to us in the
Leicestershire area.
“Over the last two weeks, we’ve had nearly 150 burst
pipes and leaks reported to us in the Leicestershire area, and our teams have
been ready and waiting to get out and fix them.
“We really want people to let us know when there’s a
problem, even if it’s not affecting their water supply. We take leakage very
seriously, and as well as not wanting to waste water, we don’t want escaping
water to freeze and become dangerous.
“The sooner we know about a leak or burst, the sooner we
can fix it, no matter what time of the day or night.”
Jamie Turner and Bob Hall, who have been finding and
fixing leaks across Leicestershire for over 30 years combined, are urging the
public to report water pipe leaks.
They said: “The weather forecasters are predicting that
it’s going to turn cold and we’re expecting to see frost and ice.
“In many cases, we don’t know where leaks are until our
customers report them. Please don’t assume we already know about the burst or
leak, even if it’s a large one - particularly in rural areas where it’s
possible for leaks to run for days without being noticed.
“Customers will often spot a leak before we can and
we’re always grateful for your help.”
If you spot a leak call 0800 783 4444, the call is free
on most landlines. Or report the leak using at stwater.co.uk/reportaleak.