Health experts issue advice as thousands left without water in 'significant incident'

North Wales Live

6 hours ago

Health experts have issued advice to residents caught up in ongoing water supply issues in Flintshire. It comes after water tankers were positioned at two hospitals affected by what Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water is calling a 'significant incident'.
Thousands of homes have been left with little or no water since last night after temporary repairs failed on a burst pipe in Broughton. This morning the Riverlink donkey and pony sanctuary in Mancot, Deeside, issued an 'urgent' plea for help after running out of water.
Three bottled water stations are now in operation (see details below). Public Health Wales said that, in most cases, this water is safe to drink, cook and wash with. You can get all the latest on this incident here.
But it is advising some customers to take extra care both during the outage and when supplies are restored. The NHS recommends bottled water is not used for making formula feed for babies. This is particularly the case for bottled water bought from shops and not supplied free by water companies.
A PHW spokesperson said: 'It's not sterile and may contain too much salt or sulphate. If you need to prepare baby formula milk, the water provided is safe to use once it has been boiled and cooled.
'Bottled water should be boiled, covered and left to cool for up to half an hour. Or, use ready-made formula milk.' Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone
When supplies start coming back on stream, it may initially be discoloured. PHW said affected customers may have to boil their tap water. If this is the advice issued by Dŵr Cymru, only boiled water should be used for drinking, brushing teeth and preparing food.
PHW said: 'Un-boiled water may be used to prepare food that will be cooked or if the water is boiled during cooking. Use a kettle, rather than pots and pans, to boil water. Never drink water from the hot tap.'
If there's not enough water to flush the toilet, PHW recommends saving the water normally used for cooking and washing up, for flushing instead. Other sources of water, such as garden water butts, can also be used for flushing.
In social media posts, the health body stressed: 'Please continue to drink water as you normally would to avoid the risks of dehydration, and continue to wash your hands after using the toilet and before preparing food.'
The problem originated a week ago (Thursday, August 7) when a burst mains caused a partial road collapse on the Parc Jasmin Estate. Some residents also suffered flooding outside their homes.
Once a temporary fix had been applied, the pipe network was refilled on Saturday (August 9) in a process that continued overnight. Customers were left with supply issues during the refill and some have complained of problems ever since.
Some 17 communities in north Flintshire have now been affected, plus 'areas surrounding Deeside'. The communities are: Flint, Holywell, Ffynnongroyw, Greenfield, Llanerch y Mor, Mostyn, Oakenholt, Talacre, Whitford, Aston, Queensferry, Hawarden, Ewloe, Mancot, Garden City, Shotton and Northop.
Dŵr Cymru's chief executive Peter Perry has today apologised, saying he was 'truly sorry for the inconvenience'. Three bottled water stations have now been set up in the following locations:
Jade Jones Pavilion Leisure Centre, Flint, CH6 5ER
Shotwick Park & Ride Car Park, Drome Road, Deeside Industrial Park, CH5 2NY
Mold County Hall car park, Mold CH7 6NF
Dŵr Cymru said the temporary repair was applied as a permenant fix was complicated and would take some time. This allowed customers to get back on supply as quickly as possible at a time when several service reservoirs are experiencing 'lower levels of storage'.
A spokesperson said: 'Unfortunately, the temporary repair has not held and so we have to act quickly to carry out an emergency repair before full storage could be restored.
'This is complex due to the pipe being located five metres underground and close to underground electric cables and other services, which requires extra care.' Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
Communities and individuals have been quick to offer help to vulnerable customers affected by water shortages. Betsi Cadwaladr, the health board for North Wales, has said its hospitals in Deeside and Holywell are also impacted.
Water tankers have been brought in and no disruptions have been experienced so far. The health board said: 'We are advising people who are attending appointments at Holywell and Deeside community hospitals to attend your appointments unless contacted otherwise.'