One of the water mains on Church Road burst in the early hours of Saturday (23rd July) morning.

United Utilities have provided the below update as of 10.30pm:  24 July, 2022

We’re continuing to refill the pipe, but please bear with us as we are trying to do this as carefully as possible to avoid any further problems on the network; such as bursts, leaks or discoloured water. This means there could be a delay in your water pressure returning to what you are used to.

Please be assured we are doing all we can, and we have got water tankers pumping additional supplies into the network to help with attempts to get taps flowing again.

Once your supply is restored discolouration may occur, this is due to the repair work and should clear after a short time.  Please take a look at our discoloured water page for more information.

A quick reminder for customers impacted, we will proactively contact and automatically pay anyone entitled to compensation so customers don’t need to get in touch with us directly about this.

Thanks again for all of your patience and we’re so sorry for the disruption to supplies in the area.

United Utilities have provided the below update as of 9.00pm:  24 July, 2022

Repairs to the burst water main on Church Road are complete, and we have begun refilling the pipe. We will be doing this gradually to avoid any further issues occurring such as additional leaks or discoloured water.

Customers will start to see supplies return throughout the course of the evening until around 10pm, but it may take some time for pressures to return to normal. We will also be keeping our water tankers in the area to pump in additional supplies to help get taps flowing again.

The bottled water stations at Netherton Activity Centre L30 3TL and Tesco Hawthorne Road Litherland L21 8NZ closed at 9pm this evening.

Please note, we will proactively contact and automatically pay any customer entitled to compensation so customers don’t need to get in touch with us directly about this. Thanks for your ongoing patience and understanding.

Diversions

The A5036 (Dunnings Bridge Road) remains closed between Netherton Way & Hawthorne Road.

Two diversions are in place.

Traffic will be diverted right from Dunnings Bride Road /A5036 junction left towards Netherton Way (commercial/ freight traffic), or right toward Boundary Lane ((light/ commuter traffic).

The A5036 / Church Road is closed at Hawthorne Road, diverting traffic right up Hawthorne Road towards the Tesco store or left up Sefton Road.

The Council is liaising with Merseyside Police & National Highways on traffic management in the area.

United Utilities have provided the below update as of 5.00pm:  24 July, 2022

• Burst pipe has been repaired
• New water delivery station set up
• Compensation will be paid to anyone without water for more than 12 hours

The situation is improving for customers in parts of Liverpool and Sefton who were affected by a burst water pipe since yesterday.  The areas affected are within the following postcode areas:  L9, L20, L21, L22, L23, L30.

18,000 properties now have water, after supplies were re-routed through other parts of the supply network. The remaining 14,000 properties are expected to have their supply restored tonight now that the water main repair has been completed.

Water delivery stations are handing out free bottled water to customers at the following locations:

• Netherton Activity Centre, Glovers Lane, Netherton, L30 3TL
• Tesco, Hawthorne Road Litherland L21 8NZ

Both sites will remain open until 9pm tonight.

So far 100,000 bottles of water have been handed out to residents, and United Utilities has been making deliveries of water direct to more than 1,600 vulnerable customers.

The problem has been caused by a burst water main on Church Road near the junction of Netherton Way in Litherland. United Utilities has been working around the clock on repairs, which took longer than expected to complete.

It has been announced that household customers who have been without water for more than 12 hours will automatically receive compensation.

In the meantime, water has been diverted through other parts of the supply network and a fleet of water tankers are in the area pumping directly into the water network to help boost the pressure.

United Utilities’ incident manager Simon Chadwick explained:

“We are very sorry and we appreciate how inconvenient this is for the customers affected.  We have been working around the clock on this incident but due to its complexity it is taking longer than we would like to resolve.

“Repair work on the pipe is now complete but it will take time now for the water main to refill and to re-pressurise the supply network. We will continue to provide updates direct to customers over the course of this evening and we thank everyone for their patience in the meantime.

“While our immediate priority is to restore water supplies, I want to reassure customers that we will be making automatic compensation payments to anyone who has gone without water for more than 12 hours.  Householders affected do not need to contact us, this will all happen automatically over the coming days.”

United Utilities is providing regular text and email updates to customers in the affected areas.  Information will also be updated on United Utilities’ website at www.unitedutilities.com and on social media.

Notes to editors:

When water supplies are fully restored United Utilities will ensure customers are compensated for the inconvenience of this incident.

Household customers who have been without water for more than 12 hours will automatically receive compensation. This is £30 for the first 12 hour period and a further £30 for each additional 12 hour period after that.  Household customers do not need to contact United Utilities, the company will write to them with full details.

For further information please contact the United Utilities Press Office on 0345 072 0822 or email externalaffairs@uuplc.co.uk

Ends/

Update as of 13:30pm, 24th July 2022:

A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: “The Council are declaring the water mains burst on Church Road as a major incident. The Council are coordinating with partner agencies to ensure this incident is under control as soon as possible.

“It is essential that our vulnerable residents are provided with water and have the support they need. Council officers are contacting vulnerable people and care homes directly in the affected areas and teams are delivering water to elderly and vulnerable people.

“The Council continues to liaise with and provide support to United Utilities (UU) and are working to open more water bottle distribution centres as a matter of urgency.

“The site remains under United Utilities care and we encourage residents to contact UU directly for information on water distribution and compensation, either by calling 03456723723 or https://www.unitedutilities.com/emergencies/up-my-street/l21-liverpool/”

Ends/

Update as of 9.30am, 24 July, 2022

“Some residents in parts of Liverpool are currently without water, or noticing their water pressure is lower than normal today.  The areas affected are within the following postcode areas:  L9, L20, L21, L22, L23, L30.

“A bottled water station has been set up at Netherton Activity Centre, L30 3TL, and this is open again today from 8am. There is plenty of water available free to those who need it. 

“A second bottled water stations has been set up and is open from 9.30am this morning at Sainsburys, Liverpool Rd, Crosby, L23 2SA.

“Further details will be posted throughout the day at www.unitedutilities.com

“The problem has been caused by a burst water main on Church Road near the junction of Netherton Way in Litherland. United Utilities has been working throughout the night to prepare the pipework and the area around it so that repairs could start.

“Due to the size of the water main and other utility services in the same area this is a very complex repair and United Utilities engineers are liaising with Sefton Council and Electricity North West. 

“In the meantime, water has been diverted through other parts of the supply network and a fleet of water tankers are in the area pumping directly into the water network to help boost the pressure.  

United Utilities’ incident manager Charmian Abbott explained: “Our engineers have been working around the clock to isolate and prepare a large water main ready for repairs. This has taken longer than expected in order to protect the safety of our team on site. We have a large response team in the area who are also supporting customers with our fleet of water tankers, plus teams who will be handing out bottled water at designated water pick up points.

“We’re very sorry for the inconvenience and we are working hard to get supplies up and running as normal again as soon as possible. We need to extend the excavation so that we can replace a full 6 metre section of large water main. We will then need to refill the main with water which takes time due to the size of the pipe. We thank everyone for their patience in the meantime.”

“Vulnerable customers who are registered with United Utilities’ Priority Services scheme are being supported.

“United Utilities is providing regular text and email updates to customers in the affected areas. Information will also be updated throughout today on United Utilities’ website at www.unitedutilities.com  and on social media.

“A section of Dunnings Bridge Road remains closed as a result of the burst. People travelling in the area are advised to plan their route.”

/Ends

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact the United Utilities press office on 0345 072 0822.