At about 3.30pm on Monday, our next-door neighbour knocked on our front door to find out if the water supply pressure to our house had dropped. We checked by turning our kitchen taps on ... and only a dribble of water came out!
For the next four hours Sue and I tried contacting Thames Water – our water supplier – to find out what was happening. We tried to notify them using the company’s website ... but that just took us round and round in circles. We tried contacting them by text, by tweet, via their Facebook page, and by telephone ... but all to no avail.
Eventually we found a notification on the Thames Water website to the effect that water pressure in the SE2, SE3, SE9, and SE18 postcode areas was being affected by a burst water main in Eltham, (Eltham is in SE9 and we live in SE18) and that this was likely to continue until Friday.
Without any warning, the water supply was reinstated just after 8.00pm, and after a degree of spluttering, we were able to do the washing up, have a shower, and fill our kettle so that we could have a hot drink.
At just after 4.00pm on Tuesday afternoon the water supply went off yet again!
Once again, we tried to contact Thames Water. I tried communicating with the company by Twitter and Facebook whilst Sue tried to telephone them. The best information we could find was that a drinking water supply point had been set up at Blackheath Rugby Club’s ground in Eltham ... some two miles away. Whilst Sue continued to try to speak to someone at Thames Water, I drove to the supply point, where I was able to collect enough water for us and our neighbours ... six of whom are over seventy years old!
On my return, Sue told me that after over an hour being held in a queue, she had been able to speak to an employee of Thames Water ... only to discover than the company had no idea that the water supply in our postcode was interrupted!
By 8.30pm an even larger part of South East London was without piped fresh water, including SE2, SE3, SE9, SE18, DA15, and DA16.
We waited patiently for the water supply to return, but by midnight it had not. We managed to do some washing up after our evening meal, to flush the toilets when it was necessary, and to wash and clean our teeth before going to bed, all using cold water.
When we got up just after 7.00am this morning, the water supply had been reinstated, but the water pressure was lower than normal. Sue and I have managed to have a hot shower or bath, and to fill up the bottles that we emptied yesterday. The latest update indicates that the problem is likely to persist for some time ...
... and Thames Water published the following statement on their website:
For the next four hours Sue and I tried contacting Thames Water – our water supplier – to find out what was happening. We tried to notify them using the company’s website ... but that just took us round and round in circles. We tried contacting them by text, by tweet, via their Facebook page, and by telephone ... but all to no avail.
Eventually we found a notification on the Thames Water website to the effect that water pressure in the SE2, SE3, SE9, and SE18 postcode areas was being affected by a burst water main in Eltham, (Eltham is in SE9 and we live in SE18) and that this was likely to continue until Friday.
Without any warning, the water supply was reinstated just after 8.00pm, and after a degree of spluttering, we were able to do the washing up, have a shower, and fill our kettle so that we could have a hot drink.
At just after 4.00pm on Tuesday afternoon the water supply went off yet again!
Once again, we tried to contact Thames Water. I tried communicating with the company by Twitter and Facebook whilst Sue tried to telephone them. The best information we could find was that a drinking water supply point had been set up at Blackheath Rugby Club’s ground in Eltham ... some two miles away. Whilst Sue continued to try to speak to someone at Thames Water, I drove to the supply point, where I was able to collect enough water for us and our neighbours ... six of whom are over seventy years old!
On my return, Sue told me that after over an hour being held in a queue, she had been able to speak to an employee of Thames Water ... only to discover than the company had no idea that the water supply in our postcode was interrupted!
By 8.30pm an even larger part of South East London was without piped fresh water, including SE2, SE3, SE9, SE18, DA15, and DA16.
We waited patiently for the water supply to return, but by midnight it had not. We managed to do some washing up after our evening meal, to flush the toilets when it was necessary, and to wash and clean our teeth before going to bed, all using cold water.
When we got up just after 7.00am this morning, the water supply had been reinstated, but the water pressure was lower than normal. Sue and I have managed to have a hot shower or bath, and to fill up the bottles that we emptied yesterday. The latest update indicates that the problem is likely to persist for some time ...
... and Thames Water published the following statement on their website:
'
We’re so sorry if your supply is being affected by the burst water pipe in Westhorne Avenue, SE9.
Our teams are working round the clock to complete a complex repair on this large pipe. It’s close to other utilities, including high-voltage power cables, so we’ve been working closely with UK Power Networks to enable this to be done safely.
To minimise disruption, we’re using tankers to pump extra water into the supply network. We’re also rerouting water where we can to maintain pressures – especially during peak usage times in the mornings and evenings.
This affects storage levels in our reservoirs, so we’re asking local residents to please use water as sparingly as they can at present, even if supplies seem normal. This will help us keep as many taps running as possible while we complete the repair.
Two drive-through bottled water stations will reopen later this morning and we’ll provide further details here. Our on-site team will safely load water into your vehicle, following the latest advice on social distancing. We kindly ask you not to get out of your car or come to these stations on foot. The water is for essential use, like drinking, cooking and hand washing.
The repair work will continue for several days and the southbound carriageway onto the A205 (Westhorne Avenue) from the A2 remains closed for now – we’re sorry for the inconvenience.
We know this has happened at a difficult time. We’ve answered the most common customer questions about coronavirus, including how we can provide extra help to those who need it most.
We’ll keep updating this page with the latest news and advice.'
Judging by what this statement says, we can expect that our water supply will be at best erratic for the next few days ... just at a time when they are predicting that London will be experiencing the hottest days of the year so far and the numbers of COVID-19 infections in our area is on the increase.This map shows the Greater London Post Code Areas. This affected by the water supply problem are indicated in red, as is the boundary of the affected area. The River Thames has been highlighted in light blue.
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Sorry to hear of your troubles.
ReplyDeleteIn the old days we at least had a tank in the loft that would supply water for a few days (as long as one gave up washing or flushing the loos) but this is long gone. I guess I need to give more thought to emergency planning; the water butt in the garden is full but definitely not for drinking (loo flushing though ...).
Happily, Thames Water only supplies our sewerage services. I've always found our local water company easy to contact and giving a helpful and personal service, though who knows how they would cope in such an emergency? No doubt the phones would be overwhelmed.
At least you don't seem to have had to complain about Virgin Media recently. After many years of trouble free service the last few weeks have seen multiple instances of loss of broadband here. The only good thing is that whenever one phoned they already knew about the problem and had a recorded message up (as getting through to speak to someone would no doubt have been impossible, and really all one wants is to know that they know about it and how long it will last),
Best Regards,
Mike
Mike Hall (Mike),
DeleteAs you point out in your comment, the good old loft tank at least provided a backup supply for flushing toilets and washing. The advent of the combination gas boiler - which does not need a loft tank - has meant that many homes no longer have that reserve of water.
Thames Water seem to have been seriously caught out by the sheer scale of the situation, and seem to have been reacting rather than taking proactive action. We live at the top of one of the highest points around London, and our water pressure is maintained by a larger water tower. Instead of keeping the pressure in the system as high as possible by pumping water into the water tower, they tried to do it by pumping water into the system at the bottom of the hill, which was closer to the burst water main. As a result, the homes on the hill first lost pressure and then lost supply.
Our broadband service is still a bit flaky at times, but any interruptions are short (ten to twenty minutes at most), and are mainly due to planned maintenance. It sounds as if your service provider is being more proactive than ours tends to be.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob
ReplyDeleteI do sympathise.
We live in a small village about 10 miles inland from the Costa Blanca coast. There are a cluster of about 20 houses on a hill overlooking the village. The water supply is pumped up from the village via an electric pump. Everytime we have a power cut the pump stops and has to be switched on again. As you can imagine we have a LOT of power cuts, particularly during storms etc.
We then have to ring a call centre which is apparently situated in Madrid. Despite paying our bills monthly by direct debit for 14 years they apparently have no record of Parcent. Each time we ring they are unable to locate the village. Name, address, telephone number, bill reference number all fail to help them find us, without a great deal of conversation in Spanish.
When they do eventually find us on their system they ring a local technico who drives up in his battered van and switches the power on again.
Even when there is a planned cut in water they seem incapable of getting the details right (day or time).
So at the first sound of thunder we fill buckets of water and hope for the best.
It drove us to distraction when we first moved to Spain, but we are now quite accepting of it. Not that we have any other option.
best regards
Paul
Paul Leniston (Paul),
DeleteWe have friends who own a home in Spain, and although their supply is much more regular than yours (it does not rely upon a pumped supply), when it went wrong recently, they had all sorts of problems getting their supplier to acknowledge that they existed ... and then to accept that the fault lay on their side of the supply system. (Apparently a valve between the supply pipe and the water meter jammed shut because the supplier had installed it incorrectly.)
I assume that you have a septic tank for sewerage. Is there no possibility that you could have a water tank or water storage cistern For non-drinking purposes, or is that not permitted!
Keep safe and keep well!
Bob
Hi Bob
DeleteNo, we have mains water. And to be honest it works well most of the time. But as with so much else here in Spain, when it goes wrong dealing with "officials" can be a nightmare.
However like most other ex pats who live here permanently, we just take it as part and parcel of living in Spain. I really believe that it would be hard to be happy here without accepting the Spanish way of life.
Like so many visitors I love the easy going approach to life which is so attractive. But when you encounter the other side of that coin you just have to accept it. Otherwise you would be constantly frustrated.
And its not the end of the world if we don't have any running water for a few hours. We use bottled water here, so we always have sufficient drinking water. And we can use the water from the swimming pool to flush the loo!!
So don't be tempted to feel too sorry for me.
best regards
Paul
Thistlebarrow (Paul),
DeleteSpain has had years (if not centuries) during which it has been able to develop its own particular brand of officialdom and bureaucracy.
As you state in your comment, one has to accept that the Spanish do things differently and at their own pace ... and trying to hurry them along can be both frustrating and counterproductive. The few dealings I have had with Spanish officials have usually ended up reasonably well, once you accept that they are going to insist that you fill the right forms out in the right way before they will even start to deal with you. How the Germans cope with it amazes me, as their attitude is even more ‘do it NOW!’ than the average Brit’s.
We are expecting hot weather her tomorrow (34C in London) so having our water supply back is great ... although I understand that a number of smaller leaks have occurred nearby due to the loss of supply causing the ancient terracotta supply pipes to dry out ... and then crack when the water pressure came back on!
I must admit that I don’t feel that sorry for you as you seem to have sussed out how to thrive in Spain ... unlike a lot of expats!
All the best,
Bob
I empathise as a few years ago there was a massive pipe burst by a pumping station, that knocked out a large part of East Bristol's water. They had never seen anything like it. Luckily it was only off for 1 1/2 days and we'd managed to fill the bath and use the water butt before we completely lost water. Having lived in Nigeria my wife and I were OK with this, but it was much harder for the kids. Fingers crossed it come back on soon.
ReplyDeleteSteve J.,
DeleteThe problem with Thames Water is the sheer number of leaks they have to deal with. The area where this burst pipe occurred has regular problems with leaking mains water supply. The whole area needs new water supply pipes installed, but it would cause so much disruption that Thames Water prefers to do it piecemeal.
Your experience with life in Nigeria has prepared you for this sort of situation ... and I suspect that the UK is going to have increasing problems with its water supply as the population continues to grow and the infrastructure ages faster that it can be replaced.
We are hoping that we are not going to lose our water supply today, but we have thirty-six 2 litre bottles of water just in case a,
All the best,
Bob
We live at the top of Shooters Hill and can corroborate your story. Impossible website and no way of getting an answer by phone, I feel very sorry for anyone who doesn't have a computer or a car. Thames Water should be ashamed.
ReplyDeleteJohn-Francis Friendship,
DeleteMy wife would not give up until she actually managed to speak to someone at Thames Water. They were as helpful as they could be, and were genuinely surprised to discover that our part of SE18 was waterless.
Getting to the water collection point was difficult, but it was worth the effort as I was able to supply water to several people who would otherwise not have had access to it.
The Leader of the Council - Dan Thorpe - has been doing his bit today to make sure that vulnerable people in Greenwich have had water delivered to them, and the Mayor - Linda Bird - has been tweeting about the water collection point at the local garden centre.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob! There is NEVER a good time to have a water shortage. Isn't it interesting how thirsty a person becomes once the announcement is made?! Oddly enough, the thirst usually goes away when the water comes back on! I'm sure your neighbors greatly appreciated your help.
ReplyDeleteMartin,
DeleteIt’s not just ones thirst that seems to be worse when there is a water shortage; not being able to flush the loo can have a similar psychological affect on ones bladder!
So far, the water supply hasn’t gone off today. We are entering the peak demand period, and I’d expect that if we are going to lose it, it will happen soon.
All the best,
Bob
Looking on the bright side, I guess the experience will help you writing in water shortage issues in your operational level rules!
ReplyDeleteSimon
Simon,
DeleteI must admit that that thought hadn’t struck me ... but it has now!
All the best,
Bob
I happen to live in a small village in the Peak District where we own our water company fed by a spring across the dale. Any problems, we just bang on the door of our water company chairman!
ReplyDeleteSimon,
DeleteNow that is local service triumphing over anonymous big business!
All the best,
Bob
That's some bad luck there Bob. We had a problem with our water not long ago. A nearby construction project drilled in the wrong place and broke a major water main, knocking out water for most of the Heights here in Jersey City. Part of a major arterial road flooded and the whole area was without water for 3 days. My neighbor warned me and I set to filling 5 gallon buckets with water, then adding chlorine and filtering out the sediment by running it all through another water filter. We even boiled any water we were going to use for cooking. It made the house smell like a swimming pool. Yuck!
ReplyDeleteMy family is involved in scouting though so it just added another layer of adventure on to our lockdown experience. It was all over quick but man, you never truly appreciate clean water from the tap until it stops flowing.
Good on you for helping out your neighbors!
Mr. Pavone,
DeleteIt never ceases to amaze me how construction works can disrupt normal life due to sheer incompetence and/or bad luck. Over the years we’ve lost electric power, internet access, and water supply due to someone digging up a road or pavement (what you call a sidewalk) to get to their particular utility supply ... and cutting all the others in the process! The common excuse is ‘it wasn’t on the plans I was given’.
At least you had lots of experience of how to cope with such emergencies. I’ve heard tales that there have been fights at one of the water collection points between people trying to grab whole vehicles full of water bottles and the people who were giving it out.
Cut the water off for a few hours in some places (like part of a city) ... and the law of the jungle can soon make itself felt.
All the best,
Bob
Sorry to hear about your water supply problems Bob. There but for the grace of God......
ReplyDeleteBig companies are very difficult to get hold of these days. Even via their websites, which not everyone can access. Contact details are often hard to find and real addresses are impossible to find.
Nundanket,
DeleteThe water supply seems to be back to what passes for normal ... for the moment!
Now we have actually managed to make contact, we are getting regular updates sent to us by Thames Water. It’s getting over that initial hurdle that is difficult. Luckily, my wife is a tenacious researcher, thanks to her extensive experience working with online genealogical records.
All the best,
Bob
Glad the situation is moving forward, looking forward to hearing that it has continued so.
ReplyDeleteTradgardmastare,
DeleteThe water pressure dropped somewhat last night, but the supply was not cut off. This morning everything seems to be normal, but as the day goes on, the likelihood of a drop in pressure or loss of supply grows.
Thames Water had removed the section of ruptured water main pipe, and are going to try to replace it today. It that is successful, things should return to normal very quickly afterwards.
All the best,
Bob
Not a good situation Bob. I hope they restore your normal service soon. Any mention of compensation by a reduction of your bill?
ReplyDeleteWhiskers,
DeleteOver the last 24 hours, the situation seems to have improved, and although the water pressure is variable, the supply is still being maintained.
I suspect that we will not get any compensation ... and I fully expect our annual bill to go up to pay for the repairs and maintenance of the supply system.
All the best,
Bob