Chadwick Nick 

We want to express how deeply sorry we are for the recurring issues you've experienced. We understand how devastating and frustrating this must be, and we never want our customers to go through such problems, especially repeatedly.

We're pleased to share that we've received the results of the pipe analysis. The pipe is in very good condition, and the recent burst was caused by ground movement, which is consistent with the analysis from 2022. 

We understand how important it is to help prevent issues like these from happening again, and we’re committed to making the necessary improvements. To help prevent future issues, we will continue to monitor the pipe closely and take proactive measures to address any potential problems before they escalate.

We're happy to let you know that we have short-term mitigation in place. We have installed a permanent high-speed logger on the water pipe, along with an additional acoustic logger. This means we can now quickly identify any leaks in the pipe and respond with repairs before they become serious problems like the ones you’ve experienced before.

Our experts are still actively exploring all available options and conducting thorough checks to ensure we find the best solutions for the medium and long-term.

We're afraid we are still unable to share these details with you. We understand this might be disappointing, but please know that we are committed to keeping you informed, and we will provide an update no later than 13th June.

I’d like to thank you for your patience since our last communication in April, we really appreciate this whilst we continue to work up our mitigation plans.

Since the incident we’ve been focused on finding the right mitigation to help prevent future occurrences of flooding to your homes.

I’m happy to share  with you that we will be installing two actuated valves along with an upstream and downstream insertion meter on the section of pipe between Chadwick Nick Lane and Bullbrige Hill, we’re currently in the design phase to get ready for the work to commence which we’re expecting to be by the end July.

We will be arranging a drop in session so we can talk through the scheme in more detail and we’ll be in touch by the end of June to let you know when this will be.

The insertion flow meters will detect any increased flow of water on this section of pipe which will indicate if there may be a leak. We’ll then be able to operate the actuated valves which will significantly reduce the flow of water to the pipe.

To put this into context, the pipe in question is 24” which has a high flow of water passing through it, the actuator valve will reduce the flow to what you’d expect to see from a 3” pipe which is significantly less. By us being able to operate the actuated valves remotely, it also removes any wait times for an engineer to arrive onsite which we know hasn’t help reduce the impact in previous incidents. We’re confident that by installing the valves and flow meters will stop the risk of flooding to your home.

We are still exploring what our long-term plan is to prevent future bursts from this pipe. It’s important that we make sure that the right solution is put into place, and I’d like to assure you that this is still our highest priority. Our teams will continue to work hard on what the next phase will be.

Just to set expectations, the solution for this isn’t going to be straight forwards and we’re estimating that this will be at least 3 years for the work to begin. However, we are confident that the most recent work will resolve the issues you’ve experienced with flooding to your properties.

We’ll be holding a drop-in session on 16 July. The purpose of this session is so we can discuss the work we’ll be carrying out towards the back end of July to stop the flooding risk to your homes. The session will be held at Fritchley Congregational Church, Chapel Street, Fritchley, DE56 2FR and we’ll be there from 6pm-8pm. If you want to learn more about what we’re doing, please drop in and see us.