North Lynn family left high and dry – again
MEMBERS of a family have hit out after they were left without water for more than 24 hours because their pipes had frozen.
Daniel and Emma Russell woke up on a Saturday morning earlier this month to find that the pipes at their North Lynn home were frozen solid.
Mr and Mrs Russell with their children Abigail, three, and Lillie-Mae, seven months, used more than 30 litres of bottled water to flush the toilet and make drinks until their supply was restored the following afternoon.
The couple put the problems down to the fact that some of their water pipes are exposed and are calling on their landlord, Broadlands Housing Association, and Anglian Water to sort it.
Mrs Russell, who lives in Dobby Drove, said: “I don’t want this to happen again.
“This is the second time we have been left with nothing. They need to do something to prevent this happening again. “They need to take more of a responsibility if there are children in the house.”
Mrs Russell has praised plumber Michael Dual, who was sent around by the housing association, on the day for trying to thaw the pipes with a hair dryer. He also bought them bottled water.
An association spokesman said: “An emergency plumber was sent to try and resolve the issue, but unfortunately he could not unfreeze the affected pipes.
“To ensure that the family had clean water while the issue was resolved we provided her with 30 litres of bottled water.
“We contacted Anglian Water, who are responsible for the water meter where the pipes were frozen, and asked them to attend the scene and fix the problem, which was caused by an incorrectly fitted cover.”
Anglian Water spokesman Ciaran Nelson said that the company received hundreds of calls from customers and did what it could.
He said: “Anglian Water is only responsible for the network of pipes that run under the ground, up to the point where they come on to your property, and supply your house. Beyond that, it is the homeowner’s responsibility to insulate their pipes, and takes steps to try and prevent them freezing.”
He added: “The situation we faced was very challenging, with many bursts and leaks to repair, and we simply weren’t able to call on all customers whose pipes were frozen, especially when the majority of those problems were with water supply pipes that are beyond our control.
“We would urge all customers to take whatever precautions they can to prevent their pipes from freezing in the first place.”
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Weather for King's Lynn
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 26 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North
