After an incident
Following an incident, you may have some questions about your water supply returning or what happens next if you need to make a claim.
Help and Advice
Your supply may look different to normal for a short period of time after an incident.
Discoloured water
Discoloured water which is yellow, orange, brown cloudy or black is caused by particles of iron or manganese, which have usually come from cast iron water mains, and have settled over time in the network.
As we return water through the system and the pressure increases, this can increase the water flow and can stir up the sediment.
Discolouration is usually short term and if you run your taps for a few minutes then this should clear.
Cloudy Water
Tiny air bubbles can cause your water to look cloudy or discoloured. The air bubbles are quite harmless and will quickly clear.
If this happens, try leaving it in a glass of water for a few minutes to see if it clears.
Cloudy Water is usually short term and if you run your taps for a few minutes then this should clear.
Frequently asked questions
As water starts to return to normal you can expect to experience low water pressure or discoloured water.
When there has been a burst water main, as we have experienced, this can stir up deposits that can exist in the pipe, causing the water to become discoloured.
Any low water pressure will return to normal once the system has been re-filled (which could take at least 48 hours). If this hasn’t returned to normal please contact us so that we can check this out.
Discoloured water could be yellow, orange, brown or black, it’s caused by particles and deposits of iron or manganese which have usually come from the cast iron water mains and have settled over time.
If this happens you should run your tap for a few minutes, if this doesn’t work, turn off your tap for 20 minutes and try again.
You may also experience cloudy water, if this happens, try leaving it in a glass of water for a few minutes to see if it clears, as this is usually caused by air in the water.
We understand that you may choose not to use it while it is discoloured for infants feeds or babies bottles and we will continue to work hard to restore it normal as soon as possible. This is why we are keeping bottled water stations open until we are confident supplies are restored to normal.
If it’s been longer than 24 hours it may be that we need to come and flush the system to help it along its way. If you’ve had discoloured water for more than 24 hours then please give us a call on 0800 052 0130.
Yes, they can drink from animal troughs as normal.
Low water pressure
Sometimes the water pressure can take a while to build up again following an incident.
The pressure might take several hours to fully return and depends on where you live. For example, customers at the top of a hill are likely to take longer to get full pressure than those at the bottom.
The water might also splutter out of your taps when it first comes back on. This should clear if you run your taps for a couple of minutes.
Get in touch
If you continue to have problems with your water once supplies have returned please get in touch with us on 0800 052 0130