More than 31,000 East Sussex households left without water for third day in a row
East Sussex resident Shane Smith and his daughters collect water for them and the rest of their family
A burst mains pipe has left tens of thousands of residents in East Sussex without water for the third day running.
More than 31,000 households in Hastings and St Leonards-on-Sea have been affected by large-scale disruption to the May Bank Holiday weekend after a vital 19-inch pipe burst on Thursday morning, a Southern Water spokesman confirmed on Saturday.
Southern Water replaced the pipe but said it is waiting for the reservoir to refill until the supply to homes will resume. It is hoped this will be sometime on Sunday, they told The Telegraph.
Southern Water workers prepare to fix the burst pipe – SOUTHERN WATER
One major attraction this weekend is the four-day Jack in the Green festival, which attracts thousands of visitors from across the country.
The water shortage has resulted in some scheduled events being cancelled, including the ceilidh dance at the White Rock Theatre in Hastings.
Portaloos have been set up in the centre of Hastings to be used by shop staff and customers.
Customers have experienced issues and delays receiving bottled water at two of the four water stations on Saturday. Delivery drivers, expected at the stations set up at Tesco and Asda in St Leonards, were stuck in the heavy traffic as a result of residents waiting to receive the water supplies.
Southern Water said: “We’re sorry that some of our customers have found it difficult to access our bottled water stations due to heavy traffic, and that there have been some delays with deliveries of water. Our delivery drivers are stuck in the same traffic jams but are on their way.
“Our response teams have advised that the Hastings Academy and Sea Road bottled water stations are currently serving customers more quickly, while Tesco and Asda are being restocked.”
Southern Water opened a fourth site at Hastings Academy late on Saturday morning as demand grew for a water station closer to the centre of the town.
Those unable to travel including elderly and disabled residents have reportedly been left without help.
A fourth water station was set to be opened later this weekend near the centre of Hastings.
Mark Pearce, 55, a retired teacher living in Hastings, has been without water since Thursday night and has no means of transport to reach one of the water stations.
He told The Telegraph: “My friend took mercy on me and queued up at the Asda. She received 12 two-litre bottles of water and distributed them among a few of us. I have eight litres for the weekend.”
He added: “Bank Holiday is a big thing for Hastings. I’ve been in Hastings for 20 years. We get lots of tourists here, there’s a big procession, but cafes and businesses can’t open.”
Water is delivered to an Asda supermarket after lorries stuck in traffic led to significant delays – EDDIE MITCHELL
Lesley Arshad, a disabled resident, said she has been left off Southern Water’s priority list, which means households receive water deliveries.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she said she had been told last year she was a priority household but when she called on Thursday to request emergency water, she was told that was no longer the case.
Ms Arshad said: “I rang the customer service representative and he said that I wasn’t on the list and I said that I had received a letter from Southern Water to say that I was. He said, ‘Oh it’s probably because you live in a flat’ but he said I would get some water but not sure when I would get it.”
Helena Dollimore, the Labour MP for Hastings and Rye, wrote to Southern Water on Friday saying: “The water outage is continuing to cause major disruption and chaos for residents across Hastings and St Leonards, with traffic gridlock, schools closing and people’s livelihoods affected.
“Southern Water must do better and learn from the lessons of the Rye water crisis last year.”
Jack the Green organisers said in a statement: “We will do our very best to run what we can but please be prepared for short notice changes and even cancellations. We are so sorry for this, which as you will understand is completely outside our control.”
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