Water supplies to 11,500 homes in Wallasey, Leasowe and Moreton to be switched off overnight on Thursday
May 19 2010 by Lorna Hughes, Wallasey News

WATER supplies to 11,500 homes in Moreton, Leasowe and Wallasey will be cut off overnight tomorrow (Thursday, May 20).

United Utilities says it needs to carry out essential work to repair a leak on a main pipe in Reeds Lane, Moreton.

Supplies will be switched off at 8pm and should be restored by 6am on Friday.

Notices will be delivered to properties affected by the shut-off.

United Utilities’ network team leader David Bates said: “We have explored other options of repairing but unfortunately we are unable to carry out repairs safely whilst the pipe is pressurised.

“We have considered re-routing supplies to customers from a different part of the network but it is not possible to do so without an unacceptable risk of discolouration.

“This has left us with no choice but to shut off the main and complete the repair.

“We are leaving it until as late as we possibly can on Thursday night to carry out this essential work so customers’ supplies won’t be affected at teatime – whilst making sure we have water back on in time for Friday morning.

“We will ensure that vulnerable customers in the area are looked after and we would ask that people across the areas affected use water wisely on Thursday evening.”

Reeds Lane will be closed until the work is completed.

Linkyy

Mines still off!!!!!

Snooze posted about this last night here.

We only found out after I needed a shower after working on the car....

Thankfully, it was back on again this morning for us

Ooooo i didnt see it!!!! >.< MY bad!!

Well round mine, its still all off =[

billy billy your so silly. I got water here and we were told it was goin off aswell. Very odd. sex.

Its having an effect on schools also,

Oldershaw and Mosslands are shut.

mosslands is open i had to ring up this moning for me lad.

my water has not long come back on but it meant my son couldn't go to school

yep just got phone call from school, they are gettin sent home.

Mine didnt go off... Warren Drive area.

ive got so much water im just leaving my taps on for no reason

Anyone wanna buy a glass of water?

Karl, shut up! >.<

Mines still off =[ i managed to clean the kitchen tho with what was left in the pipes! Just need to finish my washing and get a shower haha.




Why have you got the word sex just randomly at the end Billie?

I really have no idea lol, thought it would be randomly funny!!!

So thats why Reeds Lane has been shut for the best part of two weeks!!

I was in the Doctors before and a woman came in, went into the toilet and filled a 2 litre bottle from the tap then walked out The staff and those of us in there were astounded and in stitches.

Apparently it might be on by 8pm

Mine come on earlier but was only on for a few mins. I phoned them at 3 and they said it is fixed now but will take a while for it to come through still not on tho. They also said that I can have a payment of £25 for the time it's been off

Who Do I ring Milie? wouldn't mind getting a £25 of my bill myself, what a day to be without water, we're all sweating here.

Still not on in my house by the way, (Just off Leasowe road, near cross lane)

When ours was off a few years ago, longer than it should have been, we got compensated automatically, didn't phone anyone.

You should get leaflets through the door saying when water is off, if you get them retrospectively OR they don't cover the full period the water is off, then you can claim compo.

Not expected back on till tomorrow midday now.

i'm getting the paddling pool out

WTF, Im now glad I never got a combi boiler, Im off to get a shower before I go out.

We've still got an issue with our elec shower following last nights issue.

We have water, but Im not convinced the pressure is as high as it should be. Our shower, despite it being electric, wont give any hot water.... Not sure if the pressure isnt quite what it should be, and the shower wont turn on the heater element if there isnt enough pressure???

Who told you that? Im gaggin for a brew.

ok its hard when there is no water due to a problem with the supply. Has anybody who is having a moan at the water supplier ever seen or had a talk to the men who have the job of attempting to fix the supply pipes. If any one did they would find that not many of the jobs are straight forward due to the various systems that are buried in the ground not been in the exact places they should be which then leads to untold delays and problems. BEFORE YOU ASK - NO I DONT WORK FOR UNITED UTILITYS OR ANY OTHER SUPPLIER OF SERVICES. By the way if my spelling or grammer is incorrect then TUFF

Everyone should receive a payment that's what they told me. I only rang them to find out how much longer it would be off coz I wanted a bath before work but that's not going to happen now as it's only just come on and it's very slow.

Got a water tanker outside my house.

My work has been getting updates from United Utilities throughout the day. They have said it would come on gradually across the area affected, but there is a chance that someone could get water now and it go back off again before being full restored.

we have been told it will be back on by 8pm today, we will see..

Water tankers are pumpin in water near me.

Our water pressure seems to be fine now, and the shower is working fine - who'd have thought it would have effected an Elec shower

Must be a safety feature, the old showers, less water pressure the hotter the water, scolding if really low pressure.

I've heard its going off again today (for those who have it back) anyone know how true this is?
Hope this is sorted soon as my son is in his dads in liscard and they have no water at all.

Seems to be off in New Brighton (Mount Road area)

On the news before, now having trouble with a water pressure valve, which they are fixing, should be done within 24 hours. going around with bottle water for some.

Its not making it up hill from the village.

Seems to be back on for now in the Mount Road area of New Brighton...

my friend on Sandringham Drive has just rang me up and said her waters just gone off thought this was all sorted

...Mount Road area off again too.

Off again on Strathcona Rd.

Nothing on the UU website.

Also off St Georges Mount - they were working on
Water Tower late last night.

I think its going to be a day of the water being on and off. When it comes on again I advise to fill the kettle, fill buckets etc. At this rate we'll be licking the ice in the freezer!!

From United Utilities website today Sunday---

"Update 1.00PM We have located a Technical fault at Gorse Hill reservoir we are in the process of repairing the fault at the moment and aim to restore the water supply as soon as possible."

...I thought the issue was at Reeds Lane??? This water problem seems mobile....!!

Apparently part of Rowson St is off but our street is ok thus far. I've filled bottles with water just in case.

I've just filled a 2 litre bottle but it took 3 minutes so I guess the water's back on but not up to pressure yet.

From United Utilities Website at 4PM Sun 23rd:-

"23 May 2010

United Utilities is dealing with an unrelated water supply issue in the Wallasey area of Wirral.

The 14,500 customers who have been affected since last Thursday are all back on water supply.

However approximately 4,500 customers who have not previously been affected are experiencing either low pressure or no water supply.

This has been caused by a lack of pressure feeding the area as repairs to a faulty valve remain ongoing.

We have mobilised alternative supply vehicles to the area so they can start pumping water into the main as quickly as possible.

Arrangements are also being made for bottled water to be delivered to the area.

We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused.

- ends -"


Hmmmmm!

Hubby came back from asda half an hour ago with 15 litres of the stuff.

6pm Update from the website.......


United Utilities is dealing with an unrelated water supply issue in the Wallasey area of Wirral.

The 14,500 customers who have been affected since last Thursday are all back on water supply.

However approximately 4,500 customers who have not previously been affected are experiencing either low pressure or no water supply.

This has been caused by a lack of pressure feeding the area as repairs to a faulty valve remain ongoing.

We have alternative supply vehicles on-site and water is being pumped into the network.

We are also in contact with Wirral Borough Council to make arrangements for bottled water to be made available from 7pm at the following locations:

Cricket Club, Rake Lane, Wallasey
Atherton House , Albion Street, Wallasey
Kirkway Junction of Mount Pleasant, Wallasey

Arrangements are also being made to deliver bottled water to vulnerable customers.

We hope to have supplies in the area back to normal by the morning.

We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused.

- ends -

I can see the tankers working outside Gorse Hill Tower.
21:35 Sun.

Stopped a UU worker before. They're hoping for a limited service for tomorrow (Mon 24/5/10) with a return to full service for Tuesday. Whether that is close of business or time for people's breakfast I'm not sure (I'd assume the former though).

Once water is back on it's likely to be sludgy/brown. Run until clear and then boil or filter any water you want to use for drinking for a few days afterwards just to be safe.

FWIW Tesco Express Liscard and Seacombe are both out of bottled water.

Our water came on briefly but has been off since 4 o clock. We have some water flow just now. Hope it's enough to fill the loo!

United Utilities battle to restore water for thousands of homes in Wallasey



ANGRY scenes erupted after around 4,500 households were left without water on one of the hottest weekends on the year.

Wirral council emergency workers arranged to distribute bottles of water in three different locations in Wallasey while United Utilities battled to restore the supply.

But the bottles quickly ran out and people were forced to wait while more were delivered. Around 14,500 homes in Wallasey were left without water on Friday morning after United Utilities engineers encountered problems while repairing a leak on a 21in mains pipeline in Reeds Lane, Moreton.

United Utilities said the affected households had their supply restored, but 4,500 others, which were previously unaffected, then experienced low pressure or no water supply.

A spokesman said: “This was caused by a lack of pressure feeding the area as repairs to a faulty valve remain ongoing. “We have alternative supply vehicles on site and water is being pumped into the network. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused.”

Dave Dring, 39, of Penkett Road, Wallasey, said: “Our water went off at lunchtime and it was on and off all day. “I was going to ring United Utilities but saw on its website that it was trying to fix the problem.

“At 6.30pm, it posted an update saying it was giving out bottled water in three places so we went down at 7.10pm and they had run out. “There were cars everywhere and people were having a go at the workers delivering the water.

“There must have been about 40 to 50 people down there and they were all confused and trying to get answers. Some people were getting angry. “It was pandemonium. People were losing their rag slightly.

“You could see people stopping and talking to each other in the street, trying to find out what to do.”

Rumours were circulating in the area that some households could be without water until Thursday. But United Utilities said it was hoping to have supplies back to normal by this morning.

New Brighton Cllr Tony Pritchard said: “I had calls all day from people saying their water was off.

“If you have no water when it is one of the hottest weekends we have had, it is not very good for people.”

A council spokeswoman said: “United Utilities has not given us a formal indication yet of when the water is going to be back on, so staff delivered bottles of drinking water to anyone who was without it.

“We had three set-up points in the Wallasey area and we also delivered to vulnerable residents’ homes.”

She said anyone without drinking water should ring 0845 7462200 for advice on how to obtain it. The spokeswoman said a decision on any school closures would be made this morning on put online at www.wirral.gov.uk


THE ECHO

As bad as it is, there's really no point in having a go at the people who are delivering the water or those trying to fix the problem. They didn't do the damage!!

Listening to the radio before, the main complaints were, lack of communication and the distribution of water. One of the problems discussed was not everyone is on the net, so informing people by the web is not good for everyone and people were complaining about having to phone an 0845 number and having to hold on for ages, at a high cost. One person remarked, if you phone about paying your bill or anything to do with a bill, you are seen to right away, but was left holding the line when trying to find out about water drop offs.

Water back on in Wallasey





WATER was being pumped to homes from tankers last night as United Utilities kept working on a damaged valve.

It followed a difficult few days for thousands of families in Wallasey, who were left without supplies during the hottest weekend of the year.

Engineers were still repairing the valve in a pipe next to Ford Road, on the Beech-wood estate, last night.

It meant tankers holding thousands of litres of clean, chlorinated water, were pumping directly into the mains to keep homes supplied.

Two tankers were pumping into the network in Wallasey Village to help homes with poor pressure.

United Utilities said the repair work was difficult because of the valve’s size, the deep excavation and nearby power lines.

THE GLOBE

Water tankers deployed in Wallasey as United Utilities tackle supply problems




RESIDENTS and visitors to Wallasey are advised that, because of ongoing work to address water supply issues in the area, United Utilities has deployed large water tankers to a number of locations.

These large vehicles are parked up at the roadside while United Utilities carry out their duties, resulting in the potential for some disruption to traffic flow and access in these areas.

As a result, people are being advised to avoid, if possible, the following locations: Gorsehill Road, by the Gorsehill tower, Belvidere Road in Wallasey Village, near the junction with Queensway and Warren Drive, near to the junction with Ennerdale Road.

It is estimated that this pumping work may go on for two to three days.

Members of the public with concerns about their water supply or pressure can call United Utilities on 0845 746 2200.


THE GLOBE

exactly my thoughts!

Jase - did you take that photo or is it from the press.
I'm sure that the one they keep showing on the telly is the field between Seven Stiles and M53 where they are digging just now.

from the globe, just spoted i never put link.

United Utilities investigation into water loss in Wirral



UNITED UTILITIES workers have repaired a major water valve, which caused cuts in supply to thousands of customers in Wirral.

Following two days of work on a broken valve the company says the water network is now operating as normal without the need for tankers to pump water into the mains.

The water company has launched a full review so that lessons can be learned for the future.

The company also faces demands for answers about the supply problems to up to 14,000 people in Wallasey from Wirral councillors and MP Angela Eagle.

Scott Beard, United Utilities's regional water network manager, said: “I fully appreciate the inconvenience people have been caused throughout this incident and I apologise for that. “Our engineers have worked around the clock to rectify a succession of problems that have arisen since we isolated one of the major supply feeds into Wirral to repair a leak. We have done our best to keep people updated. It has been very difficult given the fast changing situation and the scale of the area affected, but I understand the frustration this caused and we need to see how we can do better in future.”

Problems started for people in Moreton, Leasowe, and Wallasey when United Utilities shut off a 21-inch diameter water main overnight on Thursday, May 20, to repair a leak – the repair went wrong and water went off to a wider area than had been notified.

Work on repairs continued through the day on Friday, May 21, and by that evening engineers were able to switch the main back on and begin restoring supplies.

Despite this, water pressure did not return to normal and this was traced to a different problem with a valve on a 36-inch diameter main which is the other major water supply into Wirral.

Over last weekend (Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23) engineers attempted to repair the valve but were hampered due to the depth of the main, the concrete it was set in and overhead power lines hindering digging equipment.

Water supplies were restored to most customers by pumping water directly into the system using tankers, but fluctuations in pressure meant some customers in the Wallasey area lost supply temporarily and others on higher ground had intermittent supply.

The company said water main network and all supplies were restored to normal operation at 6am yesterday (Sunday , May 30).

Scott Beard said: “We recognise the impact this has had on our customers, particularly during some of the hottest weather we've seen this year.

“We will now be contacting everyone affected with details of compensation. Customers do not need to contact us, we will be in touch with them direct.”

THE ECHO

Bet there'll be loads of little leaks now - I spotted one the other day outside Bidston Court - where Boundary Rd and Upton Rd cross.