Thousands left without water after pipes burst
THOUSANDS of people remained without water last night as last week’s heavy snowstorms continued to cause chaos even as the thaw set in.
Homeowners in some parts of Wales were relying on hastilyarranged bottled water stations as the “Beast from the East” finally retreated. Blood banks also put out an appeal for donors to replenish stocks which were depleted during the heavy spring snowfall which left drifts of up to 20ft in places.
The after-effects of the big freeze, which saw Wales record its coldest ever March day, continued yesterday even as schools, hospitals, and infrastructure finally began to return to normal.
Homes across the country were left without water due to burst pipes, with Welsh Water reporting that 4,500 people had been affected.
Burst pipes affected customers in Rhondda Cynon Taff, Gwynedd, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Blaenau Gwent, the company said.
Meanwhile, the Welsh Blood Service said it was putting on extra donation sessions in a bid to improve its stock levels following the huge blizzard.
THOUSANDS of people were affected by burst water mains yesterday as the freezing conditions which saw parts of Wales hit by 20ft snow drifts finally thawed.
Blood banks put out a call for extra donors after stocks were diminished during the big freeze which saw Wales plunged into sub-zero temperatures and blanketed in snow as spring began.
It was confirmed yesterday – as schools re-opened, shops saw stocks replenished and transport networks finally began to return to normal – that snow drifts in Wales reached as high as 20ft in places.
Powys council said drifts of 20ft were visible on the A44 at Radnor Forest, with piles of snow towering above the road.
Pictures taken on Sunday showed a vehicle driving in a gorge cleared so cars could pass on the road in between mountains of snow.
The freezing conditions which beset the beginning of spring saw Wales record its coldest March day ever with temperatures in Tredegar failing to climb above -5°C on a snow-hit St David’s Day.
Lingering snow continued to affect travel yesterday – despite temperatures rising and the sun coming out as spring finally arrived with the retreat of the so-called ‘Beast from the East’ – with a road in the Vale of Glamorgan left shut by “deep snow drifts”.
The Vale of Glamorgan council said Five Mile Lane in Walterston had been forced to close due to the “dangerous conditions”, while the road from Sycamore Cross Junction to the M4 at junction 34 remained impassable due to the deep snow drifts which had led to heavy traffic in the area.
The council yesterday said they were “working hard to clear and trying to arrange more resources to clear this section of the carriageway” as they advised drivers to use alternative routes.
Most parts of the UK are thawing out, the Met Office said, after the barrage of snow that hit the country last week.
Meteorologist Martin Bowles sai, while the thaw some areas been quick, the rapid rise in temperature was not unusual.
“It’s fairly quick but usually when you get a cold spell it will go up by five or 10 degrees in one or two days,” he said.
Temperatures rose over the weekend after the Beast from the East and Storm Emma brought a deep cold snap during last week, which saw the first day of meteorological spring.
As pupils returned to school yesterday following extensive closures at the end of last week, a school in Neath remained partially closed after a burst pipe caused “extensive damage” over the weekend.
Dwr-y-Felin Comprehensive School was forced to close to pupils in years seven and eight after the incident.
Affected pupils were joined by thousands of homeowners who were also hit by major problems with burst pipes, which in some cases left houses without a water supply.
Welsh Water said 4,500 people from around Wales have been affected by burst water pipes along its networks.
Burst pipes 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, the company said.
Welsh Water said it had also received around 200 calls regarding leaks and burst pipes due to the recent weather.
It said it was prioritising vulnerable customers and had been organising bottled water stations for those affected.
As 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 in the 24 hours to yesterday morning they had put more water into the network than during the peak period last summer.
A spokesman 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 spokesman added: “We would again like to apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused and thank them for continuing to bear with us.”
Hospitals and doctors surgeries also faced a busy start to the working
week as services began to return to normal following major weather-related disruption last week.
The Welsh Blood Service said it was putting on extra donation sessions in a bid to improve its stock levels following the extreme blizzard. While some donors braved the bad weather to ensure blood supplies were kept at acceptable levels people from O and A blood groups are being urged to come forward.
The service supplies blood to 19 hospitals across Wales and needs more than 100,000 units of it per year. But blood’s short shelf life means stocks need to be replenished on a daily basis.
A spokesman for the Welsh Blood Service said: “Considering the difficult weather our overall blood stock is in a good position but we are particularly encouraging platelet and blood donations for O and A blood groups.
“Unlike whole blood which can be stored for around 35 days platelets only last five to seven days, therefore any disruption to blood donation has a rapid impact on stock levels.
“Our focus now is on ensuring that we make up for the lost donations. So we have a number of extra sessions across Wales in the coming days and next week to allow our loyal donors to roll up their sleeves and help us recover our platelet stock.”
The spokesman paid tribute to courageous donors who didn’t let the snow stop them from giving.
“Thank you to our donors who supported us throughout the week,” he added. “Donors have kindly rescheduled appointments last minute and our specially-arranged clinic held on Sunday was fully booked within a matter of hours.
“We’d equally like to thank our staff who worked tirelessly with hospitals across Wales. Of course, all our staff will continue to work hard over the coming weeks to replenish our blood stocks.”
There are four blood groups – A, AB, B and O – each of which will be either rhesus negative or rhesus positive.
The spokesman added: “If you don’t know your blood group or if you’ve never given blood before now is a great time to try.”
One blood donation can save up to three lives.
■ To find a clinic in your area visit welshblood.org.uk or call 0800 25 22 66.