Emergency Water Supplier Water Direct's Perspective on Ofwat 'Out in the Cold' Report

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During that one week in March 2018, Water Direct worked around the clock to provide millions of litres of emergency water to thousands of UK households, businesses and vulnerable sites affected by the sudden thaw which resulted in more than 200,000 customers losing water supply.

The report found that front line staff worked tirelessly during the incident and Water Direct is proud to have supported many of the water utility companies and their customers.  

Ofwat Chief Executive, Rachel Fletcher said: "The freeze and rapid thaw earlier this year was forecast and was not unprecedented. A number of water companies showed what can be done to serve customers in the face of bad weather."

The report examined the planning, communication and response delivered by the UK's water companies and praised those that responded well, highlighting best practice including having precautionary tankers on standby at water critical sites and bottled water supplies at pre-planned locations.

Following the report Water Direct's Sven Parris commented, "It's important that the industry learns from this experience and makes robust plans for the future; in all likelihood this will not be an isolated scenario.

"Effective alternative water supply solutions are more important now as water utility company customers are better informed and have higher expectations than ever before. For me the message from the report is that the industry must be more proactive in the management of those alternative supplies.

"This is why Water Direct has developed its existing alternative supply solutions: the UK's first and only Nationwide Bottled Water Bank, millions of litres of quality assured bottled water, stored at strategic locations for widespread distribution at short notice, and state of the art network injection technology where water tankers can provide pressurised supply directly into an isolated network.

"For me, industry-wide investment in alternative supply solutions and collaborative management is key. 

"In the last twelve months alone, Water Direct has invested more than £2 million in its dedicated drinking water tanker fleet and more than doubled the Nationwide Bottled Water Bank stock. We will continue with our mission to work with water wholesalers, retailers and businesses to deliver resilience and best practice through collaboration and planning."

Water Direct has been recognised for its contribution to disaster recovery in the 2018 Business Continuity Awards, winning the award for Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS).

Read Water Direct's full response to the Ofwat report here

Company information: 

With nationwide coverage and 24/7 service, Water Direct provides planned and emergency temporary water wherever and whenever it's needed.

Water Direct's services range from supporting utility companies experiencing an interruption due to a burst main or contamination to building sites in need of water for welfare or site processes or private individuals in need of a swimming pool fill.

The company has been running for 22 years. In 2017 alone, Water Direct delivered over 50 million litres of water to their customers.

Water Direct was one of the UK's earliest adopters of continuity planning, achieving ISO 22301:2012 by developing contingency planning for water loss. Water Direct's work has been recognised in 2018 at the Business Continuity Awards, the Water Industry Awards and the Future Water awards.

www.water-direct.co.uk

Media Contact
Water Direct
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SOURCE Water Direct