Welsh Water has completed repairs to a major burst water main in Broughton, Flintshire, but thousands of residents face another 48 hours without supply. The disruption that began on August 14 will continue into the weekend, with full restoration not expected until Sunday.
The damaged main, located five metres underground and surrounded by other utility infrastructure, proved particularly challenging to repair. The extensive water network stretches more than 500 kilometres and must be carefully refilled to avoid secondary bursts.
Communities across Deeside and along the Flintshire coast to Talacre have been affected during Wales' summer heatwave. The problems stemmed from issues with a temporary fix that had been put in place earlier in the Broughton area.
Community Response
Welsh Water continues supporting vulnerable customers while supplying two hospitals and 20 care homes in the affected area. According to BBC reports, community volunteers from Deeside Roundtable have been delivering water to disabled and elderly residents.
The water shortage has caused widespread disruption beyond households. BBC reports that Greenacres Animal Park faces concerns about animals including camels that require large water volumes, while two Cymru Premier football matches have been postponed.
Bottled water remains available at three locations: Jade Jones Pavilion in Flint, Park & Ride Car Park at Deeside Industrial Park, and County Hall Car Park in Mold. Earlier in the week, bottled water was distributed to Ffynnongroew Canolfan and Talacre Community Centre.
Recovery Process
A Welsh Water spokesman said the process of refilling the network is being carefully managed. "While we aim to restore the majority of supplies to customers tomorrow, supplies will not be fully restored to everybody until Sunday," the company stated.
Welsh Water apologised for the extended disruption, saying it was "longer than we had hoped" but necessary given the technical complexity. The company has confirmed compensation arrangements and issued an open letter to customers available on their website.
Sources used: "WalesOnline", "BBC" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
