Latest news with #BristolWater
BBC News
09-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Burst main in Brent Knoll leaves residents without water
Residents of a Somerset village face having no water supply overnight due to a burst Water said the main in Brent Knoll burst at about 10:45 BST on Friday and had to be isolated for repairs to be made. The firm said it hopes to turn supplies back on "by morning", with water from tankers available at The Watchfield Inn, Highbridge in the BBC has contacted Bristol Water to ask how many properties are being affected. Temporary traffic lights have been put in place on the A38, outside Mill Batch Farm at East Brent, while work is carried out. Containers will be available at water collection site, but people can also take their own to be filled, Bristol Water said. A spokesperson said bottled water would be delivered to vulnerable customers."We're working as quickly and safely as possible to repair the burst and get everyone back into water," a spokesperson Water said residents who purchase bottled water while the supply is off can send a receipt to the firm for a refund of up to £10.
The Independent
31-03-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Pennon costs surge to £36m after South West Water parasite outbreak in Devon
South West Water owner Pennon has said the final bill for last year's parasite outbreak in Devon that impacted thousands of households has contributed to a cost hit of nearly £40 million. The supplier – which also owns Bristol Water, Bournemouth Water and SES Water – said it was facing costs of around £36 million for the supply contamination incident in Brixham and its 'reshaping and transformation programmes'. This is up from around £20 million in costs in the first half of its year, when it revealed more than £16 million was paid out for the Brixham issue after compensating affected customers, together with a further £4 million for its overhaul programme. Despite the rising financial toll, the London-listed group said on Monday that its underlying earnings would be 'broadly flat' compared with the first half and that it was on track with its own expectations for the full year to March 31. Shares in the group fell 2% in Monday morning trading. The outbreak in May last year left some people in hospital and hundreds of others ill after contamination of the water supply by cryptosporidium, a parasite which causes sickness and diarrhoea. About 17,000 households and businesses in the Brixham area were issued with a 'boil water' notice as scores of reported cases emerged. The notice, instructing them not to use tap water for drinking without boiling and cooling it first, remained in place for eight weeks for some households. In a Commons committee session last month, Pennon chief executive Susan Davy apologised to customers over pollution incidents, including the 'devastating' Devon case, while also revealing her salary has risen this year. Ms Davy has faced criticism after it was revealed that her pay package jumped 58% to £860,000 a month following the incident, after she picked up a long-term share award. She also told the MPs in the committee session that her base salary is rising from £494,000 to £511,000 this year. South West Water customers will see their bills increase by 23% over the coming five years, helping the company pay for improvements to its infrastructure and reduce pollution incidents. The costs of the parasitic water outbreak saw Pennon report widened bottom line pre-tax losses of £38.8 million in the six months to September, against losses of £34 million a year earlier. The company spent about £4 million on restructuring the business in the first half alone, having also bought Sutton and East Surrey (SES) Water for £350 million. It is looking to cut costs across SES, which was also loss-making in the first half.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Reservoir could be built in quarry to supply South West
A quarry could be flooded to become a new reservoir to supply water to thousands of homes in the South West. Plans are in the "earliest stages", according to water companies, but they are looking at a site in the Mendip Hills in Somerset. It comes as the government has given its backing to nine new reservoirs in England, including two in Somerset. The other would be a second reservoir at Cheddar, where survey work has already started. The government said it had reached an agreement with water companies which "unlocked" £7.9bn of investment over the next five years including the nine new reservoirs. The Mendip Quarries plan is a joint venture between Wessex Water and the Pennon Group, which owns Bristol Water and South West Water. A report has been done looking at Torr Works quarry at East Cranmore near Shepton Mallet - where quarrying is due to end in 2040. A public consultation would take place, but not until 2028-29. Meanwhile plans for 'Cheddar 2', as it is being called, are at the early design and environmental studied phase, with a public consultation expected later this year. Kim Williams, Head of Water Resources & Water Efficiency at Pennon Group, which owns Bristol Water and South West Water, said the quarry site was an exciting proposition. "The scale is new for our region but a really good water resource opportunity of using something that's already there rather than a brand new construction," Ms Williams said. She added that 2040 is the end of planned quarrying and construction would start after that. Current early plans for the Mendip Quarries site would give an output annual average of 50 mega litres (50,000,000 litres) each day with a peak of 100 mega litres per day. A Wessex Water spokesperson said: "The Mendip Quarries plan is both Wessex Water's and Pennon's as part of our West Country Water and Environment collaboration. "This reservoir is in the earliest stages of development at the moment, so there isn't a lot we can say on it, but it will be used to supply both Wessex Water and Bournemouth Water (Pennon) customers, with the possibility of it extending to include other areas further east." A sector summary report from the regulator Ofwat, published in December 2024, said the other new reservoirs would be built in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Kent, East Sussex and the West Midlands. It said these, plus the two planned for Somerset, have the potential to produce 670m litres of extra water per day, once completed. Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Surveys begin as new reservoir plans resurrected New reservoir planned for Somerset village
BBC News
30-01-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Reservoir could be built in quarry to supply water to Somerset
A quarry could be flooded to become a new reservoir to supply water to thousands of homes in the South are in the "earliest stages", according to water companies, but they are looking at a site in the Mendip Hills in comes as the government has given its backing to nine new reservoirs in England, including two in other would be a second reservoir at Cheddar, where survey work has already started. The government said it had reached an agreement with water companies which "unlocked" £7.9bn of investment over the next five years including the nine new Mendip Quarries plan is a joint venture between Wessex Water and the Pennon Group, which owns Bristol Water and South West Water.A report has been done looking at Torr Works quarry at East Cranmore near Shepton Mallet - where quarrying is due to end in 2040.A public consultation would take place, but not until plans for 'Cheddar 2', as it is being called, are at the early design and environmental studied phase, with a public consultation expected later this year. Kim Williams, Head of Water Resources & Water Efficiency at Pennon Group, which owns Bristol Water and South West Water, said the quarry site was an exciting proposition."The scale is new for our region but a really good water resource opportunity of using something that's already there rather than a brand new construction," Ms Williams added that 2040 is the end of planned quarrying and construction would start after that. Current early plans for the Mendip Quarries site would give an output annual average of 50 mega litres (50,000,000 litres) each day with a peak of 100 mega litres per day.A Wessex Water spokesperson said: "The Mendip Quarries plan is both Wessex Water's and Pennon's as part of our West Country Water and Environment collaboration."This reservoir is in the earliest stages of development at the moment, so there isn't a lot we can say on it, but it will be used to supply both Wessex Water and Bournemouth Water (Pennon) customers, with the possibility of it extending to include other areas further east."A sector summary report from the regulator Ofwat, published in December 2024, said the other new reservoirs would be built in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Kent, East Sussex and the West Midlands. It said these, plus the two planned for Somerset, have the potential to produce 670m litres of extra water per day, once completed.
