Hundreds of homes hit with water problems
HUNDREDS of homes in Stockport suffered issues with their water supply last week after a number of burst pipes.
Residents in the Offerton area have had problems with low pressure, with some stuck for hours with no running water at all, as well as water coming out of the taps a ‘dirty brown’ colour.
Jenna Stoker, 32, runs a washing business from home and says she has lost money due to the frequent lack of water, branding it a ‘massive inconvenience’.
She said: “Sometimes there is no water whatsoever and other times it comes out brown. It may go clear for a bit, but it can be quite cloudy and then brown again.
“I have lost money and had to cancel clients, which is not good for business. You don’t realise how much you rely on United Utilities and take for granted that when you turn on the tap water will come out.
“I am not best pleased, it is a massive inconvenience.”
United Utilities say the discolouration is a result of ‘naturally occurring sediment in the pipe system’ which is not harmful, and if people run the cold tap gently the water will eventually run clear.
Tony Vearnals, who lives on Hexam Close, woke up on Tuesday to find he had no running water so was unable to shower or flush the toilet all day.
“I knew there was a problem on Monday evening because the water was brown and the pressure was very weak,” he said.
“When I went to bed the pressure was really strong, then the next day there was no water at all – and now there is another leak on Lisburne Lane, you can see the water gushing out.
“I was in the fire brigade for 30 years so I know about how water pressure works. They keep cutting back and cutting back, they are not maintaining the pipes like they should be. That’s why they keep bursting.”
United Utilities have not yet confirmed how many properties were affected, but it is believed to be in the hundreds.
Helen Apps from United Utilities said they had had a problem with a valve that manages the pressure in the pipes which ‘cannot easily be repaired without shutting off the water supply to a large part of Stockport’.
She said this had caused ‘quite a few bursts’ and that they are working to fix the problem as quickly as possible, while using the ‘water on wheels’ tankers to top up local supplies.