Water supplies update for Cumbria

Update 4.00pm 

Water quality at Shap back to normal but water interruptions set to hit wider Eden Valley area   

Water quality in the Shap area has now returned to normal and the advice not to use tap water for drinking, washing or cooking has now been lifted.  All customers can continue to use their tap water again as normal.

There is a separate issue affecting parts of the wider Eden Valley.  Around 5,000 properties are expected to have poor water pressure or no water this afternoon and into this evening. 

United Utilities has sent an email, text or voice message to every customer who is within the area expected to be affected.

Additional bottled water collection points have been set up throughout the area.  These are at:

• Clifton Village Hall, Clifton, Penrith, CA10 2EA

• Shap Memorial Hall, Shap, Penrith CA10 3NL

• Market Square, Kirkby Stephen, CA17 4QN

• Moot Hall, Boroughgate, Appleby-in-Westmorland, CA16 6XE

• Pooley Bridge Village Hall, Pooley Bridge, Penrith, CA10 2NL

• Greystoke Village Greystoke, Penrith, CA11 0TP

• Tebay Services (Northbound), Westmorland Place, Orton, CA10 3SB

The water supplies problems are due to the ongoing difficulties repairing a water pipe that was severely damaged by Storm Ciara on Sunday.  Since then United Utilities has been using its fleet of mobile water tankers to pump supplies into the local water network.

Due to the length of time since the pipe was swept away, water pressure across the area normally fed by the pipe is now dropping.  United Utilities repair teams have been battling the weather conditions around the clock since then.  These repairs are likely to take at least another two days.

Dr Martin Padley, United Utilities Water Services Director said: “We’re doing everything we can to fix this pipe as quickly as possible, but the conditions our teams are working in are horrendous. The cold weather is hampering activities, particularly welding the pipework.

“We are working closely with the local authorities to make sure there is plenty of bottled water in the community for people to collect.”  

A map showing the affected area can be found on the United Utilities website.

Only the red areas shown on the map are at risk of disruption to their water supply. The green areas are supplied by the same network, but we expect to be able to maintain water supplies for these properties.