Burst pipes could meancompensation

Cold weather caused many problems

CUSTOMERS who were left without water because of burst pipes caused by the recent cold snap could be in line for compensation.

Severn Trent will be paying out to households who were without water for 12 continuous hours or had only an intermittent supply for 15 hours.

A payment of £30, which is roughly the same as having a month free on the average combined water and waste bill, will be offered to all homes affected so customers don’t need to do anything.

A number of pipes burst as the heavy snow and ice thawed last week leading to water shortages and low pressure.

Sarah Bentley, Chief Customer Officer at Severn Trent, said: “We’re incredibly sorry for the disruption which was caused by a huge number of bursts that put intense pressure on our water network.

“Our teams have faced an unprecedented number of leaks since the cold weather began. While we had extra teams in place working round the clock, and have hundreds of people out and about fixing bursts, we know that some customers were without water, and I really can’t apologise enough for that.

“While some customers are seeing water coming and going, the situation is much improved so we wanted to let people know about compensation.

“So, we’ll be compensating the people and families who were without water for 12 continuous hours or for more than 15 hours of intermittent supply with a deduction from their bill, and, once again, we’re just so sorry for the inconvenience this week.”

Domestic customers who will be receiving compensation do not need to do anything and will be contacted in the coming weeks.

Severn Trent added they were also working with businesses who were affected by the shortages.