Hampshire firefighters rescue 130 dairy cows with no water
A dairy farmer from Hampshire has thanked firefighters who have come to the rescue of his thirsty animals
Thousands of homes and businesses in areas including Southampton, Winchester, Eastleigh and Hedge End have been without water since Wednesday (21/12/22) after pipes burst following the recent cold snap.
Attwoods Drove farm in Compton, near Winchester, hasn't had any supply since Wednesday.
Farmer Oliver Neagle said:
"They were so thirsty bless them. What a fantastic service the fire and rescue team are and they are going to continue to supply us with water...until we have our water supply back.
The girls drink 100s of gallons of water so we are so thankful. The guys who are here have worried about the cows welfare as much as us. We cannot thank them enough."
Southern Water says it is beginning to restore supplies.
Bob Collington, Chief Operating Officer, said:
“We are pleased to say that we are now beginning to see our water supplies increasing to a position where we believe we can meet demand. Our water supply works are stable and our reservoir storage is topped up. This means that we can now allow water to flow through our network and customers will see water supply in their homes over the coming hours.
“We’ll be increasing supply gradually as we repressurise the network to avoid pipes bursting. This means that it’s going to take a little while for all our customers to be back in supply, and for some that could be this evening. If customers leave their homes before their water returns today, please check taps are switched off to avoid floods.
“Deliveries to our vulnerable customers on the Priority Services Register will continue as a precautionary measure only and for the moment bottled water stations remain open. We are sorry for the distress this incident has caused and would like to thank customers for their patience.”