Homes starved of water flow in Burgess Hill

Some residents in Burgess Hill have been complaining about low water pressure. Here Trevor Butler is mystified why there is barely more than a dribble coming out of his kitchen tap. Pic Steve Robards

Trevor Butler, who lives on Junction Road, said the highest part of Burgess Hill, including his home, has a low water pressure, fuelling speculation of a water shortage.

He said: “This is particularly acute during the morning peak. Without rain for some days now, are we in fact facing a water shortage?”

Other residents have had similar issues on Keymer Road, the top of Silverdale Road, top of Ferndale Road and the top of Oak Hall Park, all of which rely on a water tower.

“My kitchen tap offers merely a dribble and, this morning, I was unable to take my usual bath because after 25 minutes the tub was still not full,” Mr Butler explained.

“Being at home yesterday, I was able to witness things returning to normal around mid-morning, so it seems as though demand is playing a significant part here.”

As part of routine maintenance, South East Water has been carrying out work on its water tower in Burgess Hill.

The work began on Thursday August 28 and is expected to last two weeks.

Don Knight, distribution manager at South East Water, said: “When taking the water tower out of supply to carry out this maintenance we altered the flow of water around our complex network of underground pipes to compensate for the water tower being out of action.

“We are investigating reports of low water pressure during periods of high demand and are monitoring the flow of water around our network so if there is a problem we can rectify it as quickly as possible. I would like to reassure our customers that we are working hard to investigate this and resolve any problem ahead of the maintenance work on the water tower.”

They added that the winter rainfall refilled reservoirs and aquifers so water resources are in a good position.

Mr Butler added: “Pity they didn’t have the good sense, or courtesy, to inform customers. I thought my boiler had broken and called out a plumber at great expense.”

South East Water did not expect alterations to cause problems.

A spokesman said: “In situations where we incorrectly advise customers to take unnecessary action we will reimburse them for reasonable costs incurred.”