Severn Trent is reporting “incredibly high levels of demand for water” after a scorching hot and dry May.
The water company is urging people to “ditch the sprinklers and the pressure washers” to help make sure there’s enough water for hygiene during the pandemic, for drinking and for flushing toilets.
Customers of the water network in parts of Nottinghamshire have experienced drops in supply over the weekend and Severn Trent said it is working hard to restore levels.
But the supply is not a raw water issue – there’s plenty in the reservoirs with the latest reported level at 85.2 percent on May 25 in the Severn Trent region.
A Severn Trent Water spokesperson told Nottinghamshire Live: “We’d like to apologise to any customers in Nottinghamshire who’ve been seeing some low pressure or even no supply at certain times of the day.
“The problems are being caused by the incredibly high levels of demand for water we’re seeing at the moment – with customers across the Midlands using hundreds of millions of litres more than they usually do.
“The issues tend to be short-lived, usually at times of peak demand, and we’ve ramped up production of treated water to record levels in response but we’d love it if everyone could ditch the sprinklers and the pressure washers to make sure there’s enough water for the great hygiene we all need at the moment, and for drinking and flushing toilets.”
A bottled water pick up station at Morrison’s in Sutton in Ashfield has now closed after it was set up at the weekend. But other bottled water pick up stations at Asda in Priestic Road will remain open as well as at Hodgkinson Road, Kirkby in Ashfield (opposite Festival Hall Leisure Centre), the water firm said on its website.
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Severn Trent added on its website: “We know just how frustrating that must be for everyone, and we’re doing everything we can to keep your water flowing but it’s being caused by the huge spike in demand we’re seeing at the moment, with hundreds of millions of litres more treated water being used than last week, let alone last year, across our entire patch. And that includes a massive 40 percent more in Ashfield District alone.
“We’re working flat out to get more treated water into supply (and there our no issues with the raw water we store in our reservoirs) but, despite hitting record levels of production, customers are pretty much using the water as soon as we can make it.
“That means we’re looking at using tankers to bring water directly into your area to help keep your taps on.”
Post time: Jun-15-2020