5,000 Homes In South East Norwich Without Water

30 December 2014, 06:34

A burst water main which left 5,000 homes in parts of Norfolk without water has been repaired.

Supply was first disrupted in the NR14 and NR15 postcodes around 11am on Sunday, meaning people were unable to use their taps, toilets or showers for around 40 hours.

A spokesperson for Anglian Water said: "This was a very complex job on the pipe near our treatment works and because of that it took longer than we had initially hoped.

"Repairs late last night have been successful and water has been returning to the network overnight and is continuing to do so.

"However because of the large rural area covered this is likely to take several more hours before it reaches all of our customers’ taps.

"We know how disruptive this problem will have been to you and your neighbours, especially over the festive season, and are very sorry.

Customers are being warned when the supply does return it may appear brown or be white cloudy water.

The spokesperson said: "This may take a while to clear and we are carrying out flushing to minimise this effect. The brown colour is caused by the disturbance of iron sediments in the water mains as the pipes refill. The White or cloudy water is caused by air becoming entrained in the water as we restore pressures to normal.

"Both should be short lived and both are harmless."

Temporary large water tanks brought in as an alternative supply have been restocked overnight and can be found in the following places:

• The Mermaid Inn, Norwich Road, Bungay, NR35 2LB
• John Hurrell Garden Machinery, Old School Building, Kirby Road, Kirby Bedon, NR14 7DS
• Norwich & District Parabellum & Full Bore Club, Surlingham, NR14 7GL
• Cut Loke, Covey Lane, Surlingham, NR14 7AL
• Threeways, Gull Lane, Framlingham Earl, NE14 7SD
• Subaru Service Centre, Brooke Industrial Park, Brooke, NR15 1HJ
• Hall at 4 Trinity Hospital, The Street, Shotesham All Saints, NR15 1YW
• Poringland Primary School, The Footpath, Poringland, NR14 7RF (Bottled Water - ONLY)
• 21 Upgate, Poringland, NR14 7SH
• Saxlingham Primary School, Church Hill, Saxlingham Nethergate, NR15 1TD
• White Lion, The Street, Brooke, NR15 1JW
• Seething School, School Road, Seething, NR15 1DL
• Springfield, Brooke Road, Seething, NR15 1DS
• Surlingham Primary School, Walnut Hill, Surlingham, NR14 7DQ
• Cadey Leisure, 12 New Inn Hill, Rockland St. Mary, NR14 7HP
• Gull Inn, Loddon Road, Framingham Pigot, NR14 7PL
• Village Hall, Crookes Road, Bergh Apton, NR15 1BL
• The Royal Oak. The Street, Framingham Earl, NR14 7JT
• Railway Tavern, Norwich Ropad, Framingham Earl, NR14 7AB
• Village Hall, Steward Close, Saxlingham Nethergate, NR15 1AJ
• Lightpath Trading, The Street, Topcroft, NR35 2BL
• Village Hall, The Street, Rockland St. Mary, NR14 7ER
• Crown Point Public House, Kirby Road, Trowse, NR14 8RN
• Framingham Earl High School, Norwich Road, Framingham Earl, NR14 7QP
• Three Rivers Veterinary Surgery, The Street, Poringland, NR14 7RP
• Kings Head Public House, Norwich Road, Brooke, NR15 1AB
• The Three Horsehoes Public House, Alburgh Road, Hempnall, NR15 2NS

A spokesperson said: "Before you set off to collect water from a bowser please ensure you take something to safely carry the water from the bowser to your home and don't attempt to carry more than you are able.

"We recommend that you boil the water before using it for cooking or drinking. Water in the bowser is completely safe, but because we don’t know what you’ll use to carry the water home in, we would advise you to boil it before using it for cooking or drinking."

"We really appreciate your patience while we carry out this difficult repair, and would be grateful if you could help out elderly or less mobile neighbours.

"We are sending text messages to those customers in the affected areas to let them know and we will also be speaking to vulnerable customers who are registered on our WaterCare scheme.

"We will continue to update customers through the text message service and our website."