"We Act Quickly" Insists Southern Water After Damning Isle Of Wight Report

"Pipes can burst for a variety of reasons" insists Southern Water (SW), in response to a damning report into the firm's Isle of Wight supply network.

A review by Island Roads found "either poor quality of workmanship or, most likely, the extreme fragility of the supply network" was causing extensive damage to the Island's roads.

The report said SW's "failings" had reached "unprecedented" levels.

But the utility firm has hit back, saying it's possible heavy traffic and the use of heavy machinery are actually to blame.

SW has told Isle of Wight Radio it "acts quickly" when a burst does occur, and insists it is investing heavily.

A spokesperson said:

"Pipes can burst for a variety of reasons – increasingly heavy traffic and of course the use of heavy machinery as roads are upgraded can both play a part.

"We act quickly when a burst does occur to restore service to customers as soon as possible and ensure the road is reinstated after repairs are complete."

The Island Roads report said the network not only causes damage to the highway, but also "disruption to those who use the local road network."

In response, SW said:

"We recognise that the highway improvements can be disruptive to our water mains which is why it is so important that we work together to minimise inconvenience to people."

Following the release of the report, Cllr Richard Quigley issued a statement saying three million litres of water is lost from the Island’s water system every single day.

He described it as "an appalling waste of water at a time when we are all trying to preserve natural resources."

SW did not comment on Cllr Quigley's comments but did say it was rolling out new technology to combat leaks.

"We have just commenced the rollout of a new technological approach to preventing bursts with the installation of ‘internet of things’ acoustic loggers across the network and the Island will benefit from this £135 million programme.

"These devices detect the tell-tale hiss of a leak so we can act before the pipe fails completely ensuring uninterrupted service for customers and cutting the amount of water wasted via leaks."

Although Island Roads said that main replacement works have fallen to lowest levels on record, the utility firm insists it is investing heavily on the Isle of Wight. 

A spokesperson added:

"Southern Water invests heavily to replace and maintain its assets including water network on the Isle of Wight where we supply up to 42 million litres of water a day. Our rolling programme of mains replacements targets areas most in need such as the recent £400,000 Staplers Road, Newport replacement scheme, replacement of the Cowes to Newport water main and works to replace mains in the Ashley Road area of Ryde. 

"To continually improve our service to customers, between 2020 and 2025 we are spending £31,400,000 on the water supply system on the Island including an £11 million refurbishment of the Sandown supply works and £7.7 million on networks around Cowes, Newport and Brading."