Yorkshire Water, Pennine Housing 2000 and Calderdale Council have worked with campaigners to successfully find a solution to water supply on a Mytholmroyd estate.
The long-standing issue relates to an ageing and burst-prone private water main which led to temporary disruption or low pressure to customers’ water supply on the Nest Estate.
Working in conjunction with residents, a scheme was developed to replace the pipe with a new water main laid in the highway to the front of properties.
New Connections from the new main to the properties were also provided. The work has now been completed and all residents have been connected.
The existing private main has also been capped and abandoned.
Yorkshire Water’s Serviceability Customer Champion, Richard Kinder, said:“We are delighted that we have been able to find a solution to this issue by working together with residents and other organisations.
“The residents have been extremely helpful in enabling us to understand the problem and we trust this work will resolve their concerns and bring an end to the issue.”
The existing pipe was not owned by Yorkshire Water as it was laid by the Local Authority at the rear of the properties when the homes were built back in 1947. When the Yorkshire Water Authority was formed in 1974 it inherited responsibility for those assets laid in the public highway.
Pipes such as this one were designated as private supply pipes, meaning the responsibility for the maintenance of the pipe is shared between all the properties within the estate.
Yorkshire Water is now responsible for the upkeep of the new main in the highway and communication pipes from the main to the property boundary. The work carried out by Morrisons on Yorkshire Water’s behalf has cost around £200,000 which was jointly funded by Pennine Housing 2000 and residents.
Resident Jade Smith said who led the campaign welcomed the solution.
She said: “It took a while to get Yorkshire Water to listen to residents’ concerns, however, once on board the service they have provided has been excellent.
“It comes as a great relief to many that their back gardens will no longer regularly be flooded.
“We now have a secure supply for the foreseeable future. Well done to all involved.”
Janette Pearce, Head of Pennine Housing 2000, said: “We’ve invested heavily in ensuring the Nest Estate gets a good water service and we’re delighted this partnership has been a success. The tenants and residents have also played a major part in this project, and we’d like to thank them for all their work. This new main will make a huge improvement to the lives of people on the estate and they can look forward to a trouble-free Christmas.”