Scottish Water has seen the biggest spike in demand on its water network in more than a decade as its response teams battled against a surge in burst pipes caused by sub-zero temperatures and a rapid thaw over the holiday period.
Additional demand on the network increased to 250 megalitres (250 million litres) – the highest in more than a decade since the winter of 2010.
More than 70 repair teams across Scotland were mobilised to respond to incidents, putting repairs in place and trying to reduce the impact on customers who have lost water supply at their taps.
The water company’s monitoring systems have shown an additional demand of more than 100 mega litres a day (100 million litres) on the network – assessed as the result of broken pipes and leakage.
Over the holiday period there has been a 100-150% increase in the number of confirmed bursts – according to Scottish Water, the actual figure is likely to be much higher.
Customer Service General Manager Kevin Roy said the water company’s teams had been fully deployed around the country finding and fixing bursts and working around the clock to reduce the impact on customers.
He commented:
“We have now seen an additional 250 million litres of demand on the network. That’s the biggest impact on supply and demand from the weather since the big freeze of winter 2010/11.
“Some bursts are very visible and in easy-to-access locations, whilst others may be unseen and require technical expertise to locate and repair.
“We would again ask property owners, residents, keyholders and businesses to check their properties, including unoccupied buildings, for any sign at all of leaks or burst pipes.”
Areas impacted by the freeze/thaw include Ayrshire, Glasgow, South Lanarkshire, West Lothian and Stirling.
The extreme weather conditions caused a significant impact on the supply network across the country. On top of the usual daily distribution of water and demand from customers, Scottish Water saw an additional 100 million litres a day flowing through the network as a result of leaks and bursts. The deep freeze developed into a quick thaw with temperatures on the increase leaving some pipes cracked.
Nationwide, around 80 teams and 45 water tankers have been deployed to carry out fixes and maintain customer supplies.
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