Anglian Water’s chief executive has been challenged to deliver a six-point action plan after almost 40,000 properties across North Lincolnshire were affected by a major loss of water supplies.
Mark Thurston came to North Lincolnshire to meet Cllr Rob Waltham, leader, North Lincolnshire Council, following the incident which left homes, schools and businesses across Scunthorpe, Messingham and surrounding communities without water or with severely disrupted supplies.
Two pipes serving the same network burst overnight, stopping water from flowing into the local storage reservoir and causing it to empty.
During the meeting, Cllr Waltham called for clear commitments from Anglian Water covering:
Guaranteed support and bottled-water deliveries for vulnerable residents.
Pre-agreed emergency water stations and contingency plans for schools, care homes, health facilities and businesses.
Publication of a detailed North Lincolnshire investment programme, showing where work will happen and when.
Accelerated action to repair persistent leaks and replace failing pipes.
Greater local storage and network resilience, including consideration of new reservoirs, lagoons and alternative supply routes.
Simple and fair compensation, paid automatically wherever customers lose supply.
Cllr Waltham said: “The chief executive came to North Lincolnshire and heard directly what residents, schools and businesses experienced when the network failed.
“Anglian Water must have proper arrangements for vulnerable residents, emergency supplies ready for schools and care homes, a serious plan to tackle leaks, greater storage and resilience, clarity on compensation and—crucially—a published investment programme for North Lincolnshire.
“I have committed the council to working with Anglian Water to secure better outcomes for residents, and they have committed to working with us. Mark and his team made the effort to come here, listen and begin the work needed to deliver meaningful change.
