Hundreds in Woodingdean left without water after pipe burst

A mains water pipe burst in Kipling Avenue, Woodingdean, leaving residents with just a trickle running out of their taps.

One woman, who lives in Holton Hill but wished not to be named, said they have yet to receive bottled water and have been buying supplies themselves.

Southern Water does not know when the supply will be back to normal.

A trickle running from a house in Holton Hill this morning

The resident said: “We realised at 1pm yesterday that it had gone, we didn’t see any update online yesterday.

“My husband came in and turned the tap on and said there was no water. We rung them, they were helpful on the phone and explained it.

“But I don’t think it’s really good enough that we need to ring them or look for updates on Twitter, there are people who don’t have access to the internet. It isn’t fair, they should be knocking on doors.

“A lot of people have said they haven’t received bottled water. We went out and got some ourselves.”

Happy Valley, Woodingdean. Picture by Simon Carey

The woman said it is a “bit grim” that they have not been able to wash dishes or shower.

Southern Water apologised to people around Kipling Avenue who “may be waking without water or experiencing low pressure”.

A spokesman said: “We’re working hard to get customers back up and running as normal. In the meantime, we are preparing bottled water deliveries.

“Unfortunately, we don’t currently have a timeline for how long things will take to get back to normal but we’re working as quickly as we can, as we understand how difficult and inconvenient it is to be without running water.

The burst is still not fixed

“We are are aware that a number of customers in this area also suffered water supply issues during Monday, so we would like to apologise for the continued inconvenience.

“Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to restore supplies as soon as we possibly can.”

Eighteen roads in the area are affected currently.

Southern Water has dealt with repeat bursts in the West Beach area of Lancing in recent months.

Another update at midday today confirmed the water supply had returned.

A Southern Water spokesman said: "We have now resolved the issue causing loss of supply in the Kipling Avenue area of Woodingdean, Brighton (BN2 6). Most customers affected should already see their water returned, with the remaining few at the end of network zones coming back in shortly. We apologise for the disruption this issue has caused our customers.  

"If you’re back in supply with low pressure or discolouration, don’t worry, it’s normal. Running taps for a few minutes generally clears this. If you are still experiencing discolouration or no water in the morning, please call 0330 303 0368."

Roads that were affected in the Woodingdean area were as follows:

• Kipling Avenue BN2 6UF
• Pitt Gardens BN2 6LR
• Dudwell Road BN2 6RE
• Briarcroft Road BN2 6LL
• Crescent Drive South BN2 6RA
• Brownleaf Road, BN2 6LB
• Lockwood Close BN2 6UJ
• Ridgeway Gardens BN2 6PL
• The Brow BN2 6LP
• Warren Road BN2 6DB
• The Ridgeway BN2 6PB
• Rosedene Close BN2 6LE
• Kevin Gardens BN2 6RR
• Bateman Road BN2 6RD
• Lockwood Close BN2 6UJ
• Holton Hill BN2 6RQ
• Lockwood Crscent BN2 6UH
• Connell Drive BN2 6RT