News
Water Suppliers ‘Must Prepare Better’ To Avoid Supply Disruption
Water companies around the UK have been advised that they must prepare better for bad weather so as to avoid the disruptions to supply that were seen last year as a result of the Beast from the East.
The Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) says that suppliers have already started taking steps to address the shortcomings identified following last year’s spate of inclement weather.
However, the watchdog is still far from convinced that some of the plans are far-reaching enough where communication with customers is concerned during disruption, or ensuring that additional support reaches all those who need it.
CCWater has now shared its views with regulatory body Ofwat ahead of the organisation publishing its responses to the plans of those suppliers whose disruption raised the most serious concerns – Thames Water, Severn Trent, South East Water and Southern Water.
Chief executive of CCWater Tony Smith said: “These water companies cannot afford to repeat the same mistakes which made life more difficult for consumers than it needed to be.”
“We welcome the move to boost compensation but the most important thing is making sure all consumers – including those in vulnerable circumstances – get the support they need during any supply disruption.
“That includes good communication and extra help accessing emergency water where it’s needed. Ultimately companies will be judged on how well they handle the next major incident – if they come up short again, we will expect the regulator to hit them hard.”
Weather forecasters are now saying that we could be faced with 32 days of snow and ice, so now’s the time for water suppliers and UK businesses alike to properly prepare for these potentially terrible conditions. The Christmas and new year period could be quite tough weather-wise, with temperatures plunging to as low as -10 degrees C.
Making sure that all pipes are properly insulated is certainly wise and arranging for a water leak detection services company to come out and carry out a site audit could definitely prove useful as well, since this will help you find out if you do have any leaks on site.
Leaking pipes, fittings, taps and cisterns can cause flooding if the pipes do freeze so if you know you have anything in need of repair, do make sure that this is sorted before the cold weather really gets us in its grip.
Here at H2O Building Services, we have over 30 years’ experience in water engineering and can offer you all our skills and experience where leak detection and repair are concerned. We usually carry out a site audit before investigating any suspected water leaks, starting by analysing water bills over the last year or more to spot any spikes in usage and waste water management charges.
If you’d like to find out more, get in touch with us today.