Residents in Newton Heath are experiencing a water shortage this afternoon (Tuesday, June 23), forcing schools and nurseries to close early as temperatures climb over 30 degrees Celsius. United Utilities confirmed an issue with no water or low water pressure in the M40 postcode beginning at 12:41pm today.
Schools and Nurseries Affected
Local resident Mike Becker reported that his taps were producing only 'a dribble' around 1pm. He said, 'I contacted United Utilities to see if they knew about it - the last water outage on Briscoe Lane was massive. They said they would send a technician out but they didn't know when it would be fixed and said no extra provisions would be available for vulnerable people. I've got young kids and I'm having to give my kids fizzy drinks.'
Becker later informed the M.E.N that several schools in the area were forced to shut early, with parents called to collect pupils. At least one school, All Saints C of E Primary School, closed early due to the shortage. The Sure Start children's centres in Collyhurst, Moston, Newton Heath and Miles Platting also shut this afternoon, as confirmed on Facebook.
United Utilities Response
On their emergencies portal, United Utilities wrote: 'We’re currently investigating a problem in your area that may be causing no water or low water pressure. We're really sorry for the inconvenience and are working as quickly as possible to get your taps flowing again.' They advised that discoloured water may occur due to disturbed natural sediments.
A United Utilities spokesperson said: 'We’re sorry that some customers in the M40 postcode may be experiencing low water pressure or no water. Our engineers are on their way to investigate what’s causing the issue, and we’ll do everything we can to restore supplies back to normal as quickly as possible. We apologise for the inconvenience and thank customers for their patience while we resolve this.'
Heatwave Context
The outage comes just months after a huge sinkhole opened up in the area in February, leaving residents without water for more than 24 hours. The country is currently in a heatwave, with the Met Office issuing a rare red 'risk to life' warning for the south of England and an amber alert for Greater Manchester for Wednesday and Thursday. Temperatures are set to reach 31C this afternoon, with predictions of up to 40C in some areas.
