Big freeze leaves residents waterless

BOTTLED water had to be distributed to Maesteg residents when the mains supply was disrupted during the recent heavy snow.

Many parts of the town were left with low water pressure or no supply at all after mains burst during the freeze.

It left the Red Cow reservoir depleted and tankers were called in to increase the water level.

Supplies were restored to normal by Sunday evening after two days of disruption.

A Welsh Water spokeswoman said the company had faced “unprecedented challenges” during the extreme weather.

“As soon as we became aware of the issue, we contacted all affected customers, delivered bottled water to affected customers and sent tankers to the local service reservoir to increase the levels.

“We have been working around the clock to improve the situation and supplies were returned early Sunday evening.

“The supply problems have been caused by burst water pipes and higher than usual demand for water, which has placed additional pressures on our network.

“Over 24 hours we have put more water into the network than during the peak period last summer.”

The spokeswoman added: “We are mobilising additional staff to help protect supplies by finding and fixing over 200 leaks a day – more than three times the usual amount.

“We are also asking customers to help protect water supplies by not leaving taps – internal or external – running and reporting any leaks or bursts out on roads and highways directly to the company.

“They should also check any premises and outbuildings for any leaks.

“We would again like to apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused and thank them for continuing to bear with us.”