A VILLAGER has shared images showing throngs of people queuing up for water bottles after their supply was cut off due to the sudden extreme change in weather.
Tracey Hill-Fairclough told of how she had heard from other residents in the village of Bishop’s Stortford, Hertforshire, yesterday that taps and faucets had stopped working.
The 53-year-old was shocked upon discovering that this was in fact due to pipes thawing promptly following last week’s sub-zero temperatures.
Accountant assistant Tracey told of how business owners and shopkeepers were left without boilers and school pupils were sent home by 10am.
Water supply company Affinity Water appeared on the scene last night, providing rations of bottled water in an attempt to quell needs as repair work continued.
Images show show a large white lorry parked next to a Starbucks store, unloading several stacks of large water bottles from its flatbed.
Residents can be seen waiting in the dark, wrapped in their thermals as they queue in the cool air.
Tracey took to social media last night to share her shock, writing: “Queuing for water was not something I thought I would ever have to do. This was at 11pm, very surreal.”
The post received dozens of likes and comments with many expressing their discontent at the situation.
Carley Brookes said: “What about the elderly? Is there a limit to how many or [do] they just let people take as many as they want?”
Rhiain Cooper said: “Hopefully they’ll put some in town tomorrow for people who don’t drive to be able to pick up.”
Jill Wade said: “Well done if you got some. Long gone by 11:40pm.
“Hopeless!”
Lucy Stewart said: “Yep, was gone by the time we got there. Crazy.”
Affinity Water took to their website yesterday to write: “We’re very sorry if you’re still without water or experiencing low pressure this morning.
“We’ve fixed multiple bursts in the area in the last 24 hours, and this has helped to keep more water in the area.
“However, our local water storage reservoir still needs some time to recover following the significant increase in bursts due to the recent extreme weather conditions, and some customers may still have their supplies impacted today.
“We’re continuing to find and fix more bursts in the area and adjusting our network to get more water into the storage reservoir.
“We’ll also be arranging more bottled water for customers that have had their supplies impacted, and we’ll let you know where these are available shortly.”
However, for many this was not enough, as Tracey claims people were “filling their boots” with water.
Speaking today, Tracey said: “I just heard [about the pipes being thawed] from local people on our help group which was set up when Covid hit.
“I got a message to say there would be a water delivery at the services at 10.30pm. We had none, not even for our dog and the shops were all out.
“I arrived to find a huge delivery being unloaded and people standing around waiting for the go-ahead to take some.
“Then we were told that’s all there is and the word is Affinity has no idea where the leaks are. People were literally filling their boots!
“I dropped some at a neighbour’s door and sent messages to our local support WhatsApp group to say I have left some outside and if they need it, take it.
“I took some to a housebound lady and her dog who were very appreciative especially the dog who had an empty bowl.
“Bit shocking in this day and age.”
Affinity Water’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Kevin Barton said: “We are very sorry for the disruption caused to customers in Bishop’s Stortford who may be experiencing low pressure or no water.
“We are responding to a significant increase in bursts due to the sudden thaw earlier this week which followed a week of sub-zero temperatures.
“This type of weather event causes ground movement and pipes to contract and expand. This has led to an increase in burst pipes across the country.
“Our teams of technicians are in the area and are working around the clock to fix the bursts and to get more water into the area to get supplies up and running again.
“We have delivered bottled water to vulnerable customers on our priority services register and are arranging additional bottled water collection points for other customers during this time.
“Again, we are very sorry for the inconvenience caused by this incident and would like to thank customers for their patience.
“Rest assured, our teams are working hard to get supplies back to normal as quickly as possible.
“To stay up to date, please visit affinitywater.co.uk”.
