14 firms flooded as burst main hits shopping centre
A SHOPPING centre was flooded and 14 businesses affected when a United Utilities water main burst yesterday.
The spill caused huge disruption to the Mill Gate Shopping Centre in Bury, Greater Manchester, which is just 20 miles away from the firm’s Warrington headquarters.
It came hours after the Mirror told of how the company was pouring £180million into shareholders’ pockets while failing to plug leaks – and days ahead of bringing in a hosepipe ban.
Shopping centre manager Marie Gribben said it was the second time in recent weeks United Utilities has had to deal with a burst water main. She said: “One shop has been particularly affected and will be closed for a couple of days.”
One Twitter user wrote: “Terrible! @unitedutilities have got a lot to answer for! £300 million profit... and things like this still happen.”
A United Utilities spokesman said: “An 18in trunk main burst. Engineers isolated the main, but deep water has run through the centre affecting up to 14 business properties. Clean-up commenced early and continued all day.”
Meanwhile, water giants have showered fatcat bosses with £175million in pay and perks over the past five years while failing to tackle the leakage crisis.
Over 50 bigwigs running the nine largest firms in England pocketed £40million between them last year alone, research by union the GMB found. United Utilities dished out £40.2million between 2013 to 2017 to around 10 executives, the exact number differing by year. Chief Steve Mogford, 62, earned £2.3million in 2017 and £12million in the past five years.
Yet United Utilities is the second worst company for leaks, wasting 439 million litres in 2016/17.
Severn Trent Water, which lost 431 million litres a day, paid around 10 bosses a total £44.8million between 2013 and 2017. And Anglian Water paid around 12 bigwigs £30.8million.
GMB general secretary Tim Roache said: “The top tier of private water is a money making machine for a privileged few.
“We all need water, it’s absurd that something we all depend on is in private, profit-making hands.”
Water UK, which represents suppliers, said: “The industry has invested £150billion since privatisation. Over this time, the water industry has managed to cut leakage by around a third, while average bills are still around £1 a day.”
One shop will be closed for a couple of days MARIE GRIBBEN CENTRE MANAGER