Water to go off for 24 hours in Morecambe as homes and businesses hit by "multiple pipe bursts and leaks"

Homes and businesses throughout the Lancaster district continue to be without water and the supply in Morecambe is set to be turned off for a day after "multiple bursts and leaks" on the network.

Householders in Lancaster, Morecambe, Heysham and Carnforth, and surrounding areas, suffered loss of water supply, and some firms had to close early on Monday due to water pressure issues.

Emergency water bottles were being given out at various locations around the district including Morecambe Football Club and Salt Ayre Leisure Centre. 

Traffic was gridlocked in Morecambe on Monday evening due to the high demand for water.

United Utilities said they were trying to deal with the problem as quickly as they could.

They said the problem was caused by the rise in temperatures after the recent bitterly cold spell, causing leaks and bursts in pipes both on the United Utilities network and at properties in the area.

Beyond Radio has been told that properties in Morecambe, the West End, White Lund, Bare and Sandylands will be affected by the turn-off of water supply for 24 hours.

This means some homes and businesses could be without water until Tuesday evening.

"As you are aware, the impact of the freeze and now thaw has been affecting your water supply in your area," said a United Utilities spokesperson.

"This has resulted in customers experiencing no no water or poor pressure as a result of increased demand for water and multiple bursts and leaks at customer properties and on the water network.

"In order to refill reservoirs which provide water to homes and business in your area, this unfortunately means we will now need to turn off your water supply for the next 24 hours. You can expect this to happen within the next hour onwards. This is to allow for the water system to refill and meet the demand for the area."

A United Utilities spokesperson said: "Our sincere apologies for the inconvenience this will obviously cause you. It is not an action taken lightly but is essential to ensure we can reintroduce normal services for everyone in the Morecambe and Lancaster areas as soon as is possible.

"We are supporting priority customers at this time in the area. If you or any of your family would benefit from extra support you can register for Priority Services. Click here to register now.

"We will keep you updated as we go through the next 24 hours."

Phil Sweeney, Central Operations Director at United Utilities, said: “We are really sorry that customers are going to be impacted in this way.

“We have been working hard over the past few days to repair leaks as quickly as possible and increase production at our water treatment works, but unfortunately we have reached the stage where very difficult decisions have to be made.

“Turning off supply to some parts of Morecambe allows us to safeguard other areas and key sites, including hospitals, and will give us time to refill our network storage.

“Vulnerable customers on our Priority Services register, as well as places such as care homes, will receive bottled water deliveries. All customers can collect free bottled water from our stations.

“We would like to reassure customers that we are doing all we can to get things back to normal as soon as possible, and we apologise again for the inconvenience.”

Compensation will be paid automatically to those affected.

Issues with the water supply in Lancaster, Heysham, Carnforth and other areas of North Lancashire are being dealt with by United Utilities separately to the action they have taken in Morecambe. They have said they are working to restore water supplies to normal there as soon as they can.

United Utilities has set up bottled water stations in these locations:

• Matthias Street Car Park, Matthias Street , Morecambe, LA5 5JR
• Salt Ayre Leisure Centre, Doris Henderson Way, Morecambe, LA1 5JS

These are open until 9pm this evening (Monday) and from 8am to 8pm on Tuesday.

A third station will also be open from 5.30pm until 9pm at:

• Morecambe FC ‘The Mazuma Stadium’, Christie Way, Westgate, Morecambe, LA4 4TB.

Staff at the Morecambe FC station were giving out a pack of six large bottles of water per household on Monday evening to queuing motorists.

The station had temporarily run out of water bottles on Monday evening.

The Mazuma Stadium station will also be open from 8am to 8pm tomorrow (Tuesday).

Salt Ayre Leisure Centre remained open overnight (Monday-Tuesday) for anyone affected by the local water problems.

Toilet facilities will be available and people can also fill their own water bottles from the centre’s taps.

Doctors' surgeries were among those who were forced to close on Monday.

Lancaster Medical Practice said on its Facebook page: "There is currently no water supply at a number of our surgeries due to a major water supply problem in the city centre - we are in the process of contacting patients who have appointments that are impacted this afternoon.

"Please be advised that if you need urgent medical assistance today, please contact 111. If your query is not urgent for today, please wait until this issue has been resolved to contact us.

"We are in contact with United Utilities and we will keep patients informed of further developments."

Several local businesses were forced to shut on Monday due to the water shortage.

The Exchange pub in the West End of Morecambe said on its Facebook page: "Unfortunately due to the general water shutdown in the area by united utilities we have no option but to close immediately.

"Without toilets, sinks & glass washing facilities it is impossible to continue to operate. Sadly this means that this evenings Xmas quiz is postponed. We will consult with the teams to find a suitable date to reschedule it for. We will update you as to when we will be reopening as soon as we know but if it is 24 hours as mentioned then it will likely be around 5pm tomorrow."

The Morecambe Hotel Facebook page said: "Sadly ladies and gentlemen due unforeseen circumstances we have had to close for the evening as we have no running water in Lancaster and Morecambe.

"If you have a table booked for this evening you will be contacted to reschedule your table or please ring if you haven't left your number. Thank you for understanding and we wish you a merry Christmas."

Lancaster BID (Business Improvement District) said on Monday afternoon: "We are receiving reports from across the city centre of water supply issues affecting business operations."

Marketgate shopping centre in Lancaster said on Monday afternoon that their public toilets would be closing until further notice.

Lancaster and Morecambe politicians have commented on the situation.

David Morris, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, has been sharing updates about the situation on his Facebook page over the weekend and today.

Mr Morris said United Utilities were keeping in close contact with him about the progress of their work and said they would keep him informed.

The MP visited the Salt Ayre water bottle station on Monday evening to speak to staff.

He said, in a video on his Facebook page: "We've had a problem here in the area as you can gather. We've got to deal with it. United Utilities are on top of it. Check out the website. Get your water from Salt Ayre, the Mazuma and from Matthias Street in the centre of Morecambe. We're all in it together, take care."

Lizzi Collinge, county councillor for Lancaster East, said on her Facebook page on Monday evening: 

"I have just been briefed by the city council (although please remember, this is all the responsibility of United Utilities).

"MORECAMBE residents have had their water turned off for 24 hours. This is to try to refill the system and protect supply to the power station so it can continue to operate.

"LANCASTER residents, if you have low or no water this is because the system is almost empty BUT United Utilities are filling it as fast as they can. The supply has not been turned off. It *should* refill and get better overnight. If you do have water, please use as little as possible.

"United Utilities are working through their priority customer list as fast as they can. If you are not registered but are vulnerable please register via the website or phone."

A spokesperson for Lancaster City Council said: "Our telephone lines will be open until 8pm tonight and from 8am tomorrow to offer advice to those who are affected and we can be contacted on 01524 582000.

"Morecambe Town Hall has also been affected so face to face customer service will not be available for the next two days but you can still visit us at Lancaster Town Hall, by telephone or email."

Cat Smith, MP for Lancaster, said: "I have been contacted by a number of local residents and businesses to advise that there has been no running water across areas of Lancaster throughout the day.

"I have contacted United Utilities for an urgent response and explanation on this, but if you are experiencing difficulty please report an issue directly with them at https://www.unitedutilities.com/emergen.../report-a-problem/ and if your area continues to experience difficulties please let me know at cat.smith.mp@parliament.uk."

People in Carnforth have also been experiencing problems.

An update from United Utilities said: "Our teams have worked throughout the day to repair the burst water pipe that was the cause of the no water or poor pressure in the area.

"Due to the increase in temperatures after a very cold spell we’re now experiencing more water leaks in the area and our team are working to identify further issues."

Meanwhile United Utilities has also issued some advice about frozen pipes.

"After the freezing weather conditions across the region, the temperature is on the up again.

"As the weather warms up any frozen pipes in your home will begin to thaw. When this happens, some of your pipes may leak or burst as a result of being frozen; it's worth taking a few steps now to be prepared.

"Burst and leaking pipes can cause damage to your home or business, so being prepared will help to reduce the impact of flooding from burst pipes, which can be extremely distressing as well as costly and time-consuming to repair.

"If you do have a burst pipe, don't panic, follow our advice below: 

• Find your stop tap, which is usually under the kitchen sink and turn it clockwise to turn off the water.   Watch our video below for advice on how to find your stop tap.
• Turn off your heating, open all your taps to drain the system quickly.
• Soak up any escaping water with towels.
• Check with your home insurance company to see if you’re covered for leaks and bursts or call a plumber.
• If you need to find a plumber in your area visit www.watersafe.org.uk
• If water has leaked near your electrics switch them off at the mains.

"Please think about your family, friends and vulnerable neighbours and share this information with them too."

The water issues in Lancaster, Morecambe, Heysham and Carnforth began over the weekend.

Related Story: 'Mystery' bottles delivered amid water supply problems in Lancaster, Morecambe and Carnforth - Beyond Radio

There were also separate issues in Overton on Thursday, which were caused by a fault on the network.

Related Story: Investigation after villagers lose water supply in Overton - Beyond Radio