Thousands of people affected by burst pipes

MORE than 4,000 people have been affected by burst water pipes across Wales.

Welsh Water said 4,500 people from around Wales have been affected by burst water mains.

Burst pipes have affected customers in Clydach Vale in Rhondda Cynon Taff, Blaenau Ffestiniog in Gwynedd, Pencader in Carmarthenshire, Synod Inn, Llandysul and Talgarreg in Ceredigion, Letterston in Pembrokeshire and Abertillery in Blaenau Gwent.

Welsh Water said it has received around 200 calls regarding leaks and burst pipes due to the recent weather.

It said it is prioritising vulnerable customers and organising bottled water stations.

This was seen in the Rhondda on Sunday night when people queued up for bottled water at a shop in Clydach Vale because of the burst water pipe.

Burst pipes happen when water in the pipes freezes and expands, which can break the pipe. When the ice melts, water will then leak out.

If pipes are frozen or have burst, it is important to turn off the stop tap quickly.

The stop tap is normally under the kitchen sink, but can also be in downstairs toilets, garages or outhouses.

Welsh Water is only responsible for pipes up to a property’s boundary. That includes water mains, communication pipes, the stopcock and meter, but not the water supply pipe.

So if a pipe bursts in a house, it is the homeowner or landlord’s responsibilty to arrange a plumber.

As the supplies begin to return, the water company said some customers may notice a slight discolouration of their tap water, which is not unusual should clear within a short period of time.

With more pipes freezing in the extreme weather and then bursting, it has caused a higher than usual demand for water.

Welsh Water said the problem has “placed additional pressures” on the network and that over the last 24 hours they have put more water into the network than during the peak period last summer.

A spokesperson said: “The extreme weather conditions over the past few days have presented us with unprecedented challenges which have impacted on water supplies to some of our customers. We apologise for this and have teams working around the clock to restore supplies as soon as possible.

“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.”

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