We come across urgent cases where having a replacement water mains is not only essential but enforceable. Recently a local, large, residential block needed an urgent water mains replacement. The landlord had been served an improvement notice because the situation was so serious.
Losing Water
A leaking water main can mean the loss of thousands of litres of water. This was the case, here, where the block had a mains leak and was losing 10,000 litres an hour.
Water leaks make the headlines, with the UK’s network losing a combined total of around 3.b billion litres every day, according to the BBC’s Watchdog programme. With the UK’s increasingly unpredictable weather patterns meaning that the country may face a drought this summer, fixing water leaks has become a top priority.
Leaks can go undetected for months, if they do not directly impact on water users. However, because they are undetected does not mean they cannot cause long-term damage. And the continual loss of water resources can spell trouble later if there are drought conditions.
There is also the issue of responsibility. Within a property boundary, dealing with a leaking water mains becomes the landlord’s or property owner’s responsibility.
However, in the situation we’ve highlighted, because the leak was so severe, United Utilities issued the landlord of the residential block with an improvement notice, which meant they had to act.
Repair or Replace?
The location of the leaking mains supply beneath the tower block meant that repairing the pipe was not a viable option. At the same time, the constant leak of water could eventually pose a structural risk to the block itself, so it was important that it could be stopped.
Our solution was to replace the mains supply entirely.
We were then commissioned to carry out this essential replacement water mains work with the owner’s agreement. We devised an alternative route external to the block for the new water mains to travel along.
We completed the work, installing a new 90mm diameter polyethylene (PE) mains pipe with valve chambers, as a flexible, durable and long-lasting solution. United Utilities signed off the replacement water mains we had installed within the stated period of their improvement notice.
At Pipeline Services, we specialise in replacing water mains, ensuring our customers have a quick but lasting solution for their water supply. If you need action fast, call us today.
