Anglian Water (AW) are very sorry for the interruptions to the water supply and for the inconvenience and frustration this is causing the residents of Brixworth.
Brixworth is supplied by Pitsford Water Treatment works via Brixworth Water Tower. Unfortunately AW have experienced intermittent electrical power outages in recent months that shut down the treatment works for safety reasons. Normally this would go unnoticed as they have the facility to store water which allows them to continue to supply customers whilst AW re-start the equipment.
However, the storage facility (tank) has been temporarily removed for routine maintenance which is why supply interruptions are affecting customers straight away during power outages. There is no quick way of re-starting the treatment works due to strict water quality parameters AW need to meet before it restore supplies. The storage tank is due to be operational again in the next few weeks and will greatly reduce interruptions.
Whilst AW are not at fault for the electrical issues, they recognise that this situation is not acceptable, so they are pleased to tell us that they have started a £7.8m investment to ensure that AW have water supply security for its customers in the event of further power outages. The investment will include a separate pumped system which can bring water from Hannington Reservoir into the network to maintain supplies. The work is due to be completed by November 2020.
Anglian Water sincerely apologise for the poor service that some Brixworth customers have experienced, but rest assured they are working hard on a long term solution to improve things, and thank residents for their patience and understanding.
AW are going to write to customers affected by these unfortunate supply interruptions to explain the cause and share these improvement plans direct.
