No water

It certainly is, Luckygirl.

We are all rather quiet here but know there would be help if anyone needed it.

I am glad to say that we now have our water back and this time it is from the mains rather than a tanker. It is a huge relief.

Coco51 - I am on the priority list, but WW would not acknowledge that we had no water in our part of the village as their map of the outage was inaccurate, in spite of the whole village telling them over and over again. It was very frustrating.

But the blessing of it all is that I now know that I am surrounded by a caring community of people who did everything they could to help - and did these things quite unasked. When bottled water arrived on pallets outside the pub, several people realised I would not be able to lift the packs of bottles, so asked if I would like them to fetch for me; more people offered to pour buckets of rainwater down my loo, as once again they realised that I would not be able to lift the buckets; those with more water than they needed offered the excess to me; so many people offered showers/baths or the use of their washing machine etc. etc.

This is why I moved back here when I was widowed - to be amongst a kind and caring group of people in my village and those surrounding - all the villages pulled together to help those who needed it. Such a community is precious beyond words.

Older and vulnerable people can sign up for extra assistance if utilities go down. Might be worth registering for priority assistance.

East Devon is in the same state as the OP, many areas have been missing water since the weekend, Seaton, Axminster area. My DD is smack bang in the middle but has water...no rhyme nor reason...

The pipe feeding my standpipe was frozen for 12 days during the recent cold spell. My water tank was empty as I was about to fill it when the freeze came. I managed with bottled water for cooking and washing. We can manage quite well when needed I think. I just kept positive. Hope you get water soon.

A couple of weeks ago, during the sub zero temperatures, a mains water pipe ruptured and the pressure of the water fractured the mains gas pipe. Fortunately for me this happened in the area adjacent to me but the residents affected had water gushing out of ovens, fires and boilers. They were without water for several days and gas for a week. The local community centre provided bottled water and electric heaters as well as being a warm spaces with hot food and drinks and The local sports centre became the source of free showers. I don’t know how those poor folk managed and thank my lucky stars I was spared the ordeal

When we had no water as the well ran dry on the Scottish small island we once lived on - I used to have to drive down to the pier to get 5 gallon drums of it in a car which had a hole near the accelerator pedal and we had never had even one driving lesson -( twanged into the barbed wire fence going out off the garage and crashed into the packing cases at the bottom of it on entering it as didn’t know about clutch control , holding the HMSO driving manual ). Somebody had given us a tiny one gallon drum washer that you poured hot water into and I used to turn the handle 240 times . It sort of pressed soapy water through the clothes in it to clean them . We used all washing up water to flush the toilet and had a very small tin bath in which I displaced a lot of water so 2” went to the top with me in it . I had to order disposable nappies from mother care by post and the following year when the well ran dry we used rain water from the water butts the education supplied the school my husband worked at and a spin dryer . Washing was usually blown horizontal and we used storm pegs which we still have . We managed ! Good luck - I know water can feel very heavy to carry . The farmers thought we were very peculiar wanting to wash a lot as they thought a bath once a month was ok .

We fortunately escaped, but others around us didn’t, water now slowly coming back for them. Southern Water are a disgrace.
I hope you and others are now back to normal Luckygirl.

You can save the used washing up water and use it for flushing the toilet the couple of times a day that are necessary.

If it looks like rain or snow put out buckets - the water or snow you gather is clean enough for flushing toilets, washing your hands in, or boiled first for washing up with.

Your local chemist may stock potassium permanganate which can be used for disinfecting water.

Guess you could melt snow if you have any that is
How inconvenient for you all.
Otherwise perhaps install rainwater tanks New builds in Australia have to have them before they get passed by the authorities as dwellings

I’ve pm’d you NanaBabs

Water came back at about 3pm - I sent GS off on a trip to flush both toilets; set a machine full of washing going; leapt joyously in the shower - and then had a message to say that the water was only a small amount which had been achieved by pumping a tankerful of water into the pipes while they continue to look for the leak ........ and that we must only use it to flush the loos!!! .... oops!

Well, thank goodness! But it took them long enough to respond and provide you with water.

We've got water butts but I'm not sure I'd fancy drinking anything from them. The water would be all right for flushing the loo and rainwater is lovely for washing your hair.

4th day of no water. But WW have now supplied bottles - it took 3.5 days for them to do this.

For us all the most difficult thing has been the total absence of communication about anything: what the problem is, where they have got to in solving this, when and if water will be delivered - nothing, just nothing.

And the map on their website showed an area in red that was cut off but did not include our village. We kept ringing and saying that we too had no water and they said they knew. But when bottled water was eventually delivered it was only because friends directed them down here that we got any at all. The guy who came said we were not on his list. It has been quite exasperating!

There are now pallets of bottled water outside the pub for anyone to help themselves. It goes against the grain pouring good drinking water down the toilet to flush it or washing up with it, but we have no choice.

Rumour has it that they are refilling the local reservoir (goodness knows how!) and that we might get small amounts of water gradually as they cannot open the floodgates too much or there will be damage to pipes. All rumour though ....

I will definitely store any leftover bottles that I have for another time.

We’ve just had this in my area:

I think I'll fill the bath ....

Dad just been talking to Welsh Water. They seem not to know where the burst is in Carmarthen. 😡

luckygirl and others.
I hope you have people who will help you until this is resolved. 🤞

My daughter is in the same town as you NanaBabs1. It is an utter disgrace, with appalling communications to residents.

I now have 12 x 2 litre bottles of water and another 5 bottles to come - so things easing thanks to kindness of friends and a bit from WW.

I feel loathe to use good drinking water for washing up and washing hands etc. but do not really have a choice.

Sorry to hear about your water shortage problems. Hasn't happened here in my part of Derbyshire yet. (Amber Valley)
I'm going to stock up on the cheapest supermarket water though, just in case. Hope your problems are sorted soon.

I am definitely planning to have a water butt! I had a bucket outside that has filled with rainwater and a neighbour has kindly chucked that down my loo - slightly embarrassing!

One of the difficulties is that water is so heavy that even when people bring me some I cannot lift it, as have had a disc removed from my back.

Luckygirl have you got a water butt? That could solve the loo problem if someone could fill a bucket and take it upstairs for you. Good luck.

MP has been in touch with MD of WW, but no concrete improvement on the ground.

NotSpaghetti - we have all been thinking how awful it must be to be in a bombed out town in Ukraine with no water or electricity - what a world we live in.

It is all really really horrible.
Thank goodness we are not also being bombed!

Not belittling anyone's annoyance, inconvenience and all the extra work involved. Just thinking what it would be like.
Still lucky really, in the wider scheme.

I really hope life is back to normal for you all soon.