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Around 200 homes in the Reading area woke up this morning to find they had no water or low water pressure following a burst water main
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Reading water supply should be restored this afternoon

February 04, 2013

Around 700 homes in the Reading area woke up this morning to find they had no water or low water pressure following a burst water main.

Thames Water spokesman Simon Evans explained: "A large pipe, which takes treated water from Reading's main water works to Earley storage reservoir, burst early this morning.

"At 8am we had received 200 reports from customers in the RG2 and RG7 postal areas with either no water or low pressure.

“Water supplies are set to be restored in the next few hours to most of the customers in and around south Reading whose supplies were interrupted by a burst main early this morning.

“We have turned off water running through the broken pipe and we are now re-routing water to the affected areas from other parts of the network.

“Water pressure is now starting to build back up in the network and by mid afternoon normal service should have been restored to most affected customers in the RG2 and RG7 postal areas.

“Meanwhile our engineers are digging out the broken section of pipe to replace it.

“The main, which takes treated water from Reading's main water works to Earley storage reservoir, burst at 4.30am.

“By 10am we had received 900 reports from customers in the RG2 and RG7 postal areas with either no water or low pressure.

“We are sorry to everyone affected by this.”

Christ The King RC Primary School, Whitley Park School, and South Reading Youth and Community Centre and nursery have been closed because of the leak.

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Bahumbug & ADRRR I do see your point - if it was me I would just ring them and make a formal complaint if I wasn't getting the service I should receive from them for paying for said service.

I do appreciate there are people that are affected by lack of water than others (and admit I was blinkered to that fact yesterday).

Failing any decent response following my complaint I'd go higher until I received a satisfactory response and the level of service I should receive.

Wookie
05/02/2013 at 10:00

@Alf Tupper

Prat, F U 'elp!

Spiddly, Reading
05/02/2013 at 09:24

But Spiddly, Reading, did gay nerd slip?

Alf Tupper
04/02/2013 at 23:05

Following Alf Tupper's inspired anagram of Thames Water, I decided to look up some for another local institution, namely Reading Borough Council.

Quite a few, but one that caught my eye was 'A Cubicle Donor Roughing.'

Sit down, Tony.

Spiddly, Reading
04/02/2013 at 18:50

A.XYZ - good plan but flawed if there's no van with a phone number and no Thames water rep on site all day.

There are ways around this problem but the main issue is the lack of support from Thames Water themselves. Its all good using contractors to do work but I must have seen around 50 people asking the contractors what was going on and they didn't know what to tell people.

A Disgruntled Reading Resident, Reading
04/02/2013 at 17:02

Another point to remember

If your disabled and water is disconnected simplly Rink the hotline number on the van's and POLITLY explain the situation and ask Thames to deliver some bottles, or ask the Thames water rep that may be in attendance at times with the Contractors..NOTE Thames rep not contractors

A. XYZ
04/02/2013 at 16:14

A Disgruntled Reading Resident, Reading

The problem reported here is a completly different one to what ever happened Sunday This was a broken main early this morning..I know this for a fact Yesterday ( Sunday ) was something PN Daly was responsable for Yes I know a contractor used by Thames so in respect Thames bear some fault,

And Thames do keep records of Home Dialysis people and ensure water is maintained where possible ..Fact...

A. XYZ
04/02/2013 at 16:08

Clean water is essential for medical use.

The problem isn't with Thames water causing a problem it's with their response. Shelling out free water from Spencer House TODAY is a bit late for the people that needed it all day yesterday and the fact a lot of people couldn't get there doesn't help either. The point I was trying to make, which you missed entirely, is that we pay Thames Water to provide a service which they clearly don't provide. This service includes informing people when there is a problem and how long it will go on for - and to supply water to areas that are in need of it in the event of an 'infrastructure failure'. All comments and article notes imply that this was RG2 and RG7 areas when clearly this was a larger issue than that as I am RG1 and they were also digging up Kendrick Road and pumping away LOTS of water there too - all night. Guessing you're the sort of person that's happy to pay for a mobile phone that has no reception most of the time and no customer service (or similar anyway) ?

Bahumbug... totally agree - "Perhaps in this day of money comes first and service somewhat later to those fit and able or in the right cryteria of the human population this is right."

A Disgruntled Reading Resident, Reading
04/02/2013 at 15:56

A xyz in thoery and in the past this was the case but is not any more. Emergency help does not come into play till 48 hours has elasped and all records have to be updated and kept on system which thames water do not do. So yes people with medical conditions are left to fend for themselves. When phoning them was told dispite being registered as a medical case of need It would be down to me to get bottled water from local supermarket. No help is given to anybody housebound /disabled until 24hours has lapsed. Now I know wooky it is a mild inconveniance to most but not all. In the past if there was a leak and water was going to be shut off a van came round effected area with loudspeaker telling everyone. Those needing help were given an emergency supply of water there and then. Simples. Perhaps in this day of money comes first and service somewhat later to those fit and able or in the right cryteria of the human population this is right.

bahumbug, Reading
04/02/2013 at 15:10

Wookie----------I totally agree !!

telboy9
04/02/2013 at 15:00

@ ADRR

I repeat - not even a full day without water.

So how would you predict what pipe is going to burst next? How do you expect Thames Water to? Pipes will burst, fact.

They've addressed the situation in half a day. That to me isn't an example of not being able to organise a p155-up in a brewery.

And personally, I don't feel ripped off for the price I pay for clean running water.

Your username would suggest you're just disgruntled in general. There's a solution if you're disgruntled in general about being a Reading resident.....

(P.S I'll stay on my soapbox for now thanks, and disabled or not, we all need water and are inconvenienced the same for the very rare occassions we are without water, (just how many days a year are you without water?). Maybe it's you who needs to see this for what it is).

Wookie
04/02/2013 at 14:24

Can't see how an unavoidable burst pipe means Thames Water messed up Ajax95.

Fraggle Rocks, Reading
04/02/2013 at 14:19

Thames Water = Ha! Wet Stream!

Alf Tupper
04/02/2013 at 14:14

Thames Water ... Messing things up at your expense

Ajax95, Reading
04/02/2013 at 14:02

Wookie - "It's embarrassing what spoilt child like comments come from adults mouths at times when faced with (in the whole scheme of things) trivial inconvenience."

Agreed that we should be thankful but there's a difference between being thankful for what we have and being ripped off by a utility company that clearly cannot organise a p155 up in a brewery. Get off your soap box and see this as what it is.. it's not about people not having a water supply it's about lack of service and the inconvienience to those of us who are disabled - which we appear to be paying more for year on year and recieving less service.