Scottish Water appeals for help tracing leaks and bursts

ENGINEERS from Scottish Water have been working “around the clock” to keep the water flowing to homes and businesses in what the utility describes as “challenging conditions”.

At the weekend disruption to supplies due to burst water mains were reported in many areas of Shetland including in Unst, Fetlar and Bigton.

Scottish Water said they are currently no areas in Shetland without water, but demand has increased significantly over recent days which indicates bursts and leaks on the network.

Scottish Water said its teams were working hard to trace, isolate and repair leaks on the water networks across Shetland, following the impact of the wintry conditions.

And it is asking customers to check any empty properties, business premises, holiday homes, basements, out-houses, field troughs or garden taps to identify where there may be any burst pipes.

A spokesperson said: “We are hugely grateful to customers for their patience and understanding while our teams have been working around the clock to keep Shetland’s water flowing in the recent challenging conditions.

“We are continuing to see higher than normal demand for water in a number of areas – both in the mainland and some of the other islands – arising from the impacts of the weather on pipes, which has potential to impact upon customer supplies.

“We are doing all we can to locate bursts on the public network and keep drinking water storage tanks replenished.”

Where customers become aware of leaks or bursts on the public water network, they are asked to contact Scottish Water with as much detail of the location as possible. Issues can be reported by calling 0800 077 8778 or via the online reporting portal on Scottish Water’s website at www.scottishwater.co.uk/report