Water restored to Rugby, but problems may not be over

The disruptions to the water supply began to affect people in parts of the borough including Bilton, Dunchurch, Newbold, Brownsover and Hillmorton on the evening of Sunday, March 4.

Advertiser readers took to social media to suggest some businesses and schools may not be able to open today - although all schools in Rugby appear to have opened this morning.

A spokesperson for Seven Trent said: "We’re happy to say that all customers in the Rugby and Southam areas should now have their water supplies back on. We want to thank everyone for their patience and for bearing with us while we’ve got everything back to normal.

"The thaw has seen our teams called out to an unprecedented number of leaks on our pipes in the Rugby and Southam areas which has put pressure on the network and meant some customers experienced low pressure or periodic interruptions to supply during Sunday evening.

"Our teams have worked tirelessly throughout the night to fix burst pipes and to bring supplies back on. As we enter peak demand in the morning, there may still be poor pressure or intermittent supplies again whilst we restore the network to its full capacity."

The problem may not be over - leading Seven Trent to ask for the help of Rugbeians to spot and report any further leaks.

A spokesperson said: "We predict that there will still be further bursts due to the weather, so we’d still continue to ask anyone who spots a leak to let us know as soon as possible - the sooner we can find any further leaks, the sooner we can fix them.

"When water freezes within a pipe it expands, putting more pressure on the pipes and joints, often causing pipes to split or joints to pull apart, and then when it thaws the water will start to leak out.

"So during the cold weather, a lot of pipes will have burst but they’re only starting to leak now that the temperatures have increased and the water has thawed.

Anyone who spots a leak is asked to call ‘Leakline’ on 0800 783 4444 - the call is free on most landlines.

Alternatively, leaks can be reported online.

While on the Seven Trent 'report a problem page', users can also view a map showing already reported incidents in the area.