Yorkshire Water has apologised after a disabled man had to change his medication to avoid needing the toilet when his village was without water for two days.
Residents of Green Hammerton, between York and Harrogate, were left with little or no water after a burst water main earlier this month.
While Yorkshire Water gave updates and provided bottled water to some customers, it is claimed many households, including some on the priority services register, were not given assistance.
Resident Ian Flatt and his wife and carer, Rachael, had no water from 10am on Monday, January 5 to 10am on Wednesday, January 7.
His condition demands water for hygiene and toilet needs.
The 60-year-old said:
“I don’t like to be too graphic, but you need to understand just how severe the impact was for me as a vulnerable person.
“I had to change my medication so I wouldn’t need the toilet, because without water, there simply was no toilet.
“Besides the discomfort, the result is pressure on my diaphragm which causes breathing difficulties.”
He also had to forego showers, which are essential to his care as he is wheelchair-bound and needs to ensure robust hygiene to avoid infection.
Mr Flatt said that they received no messages from Yorkshire Water until at least an hour after problems began.
His wife was unable to reach Yorkshire Water by phone and resorted to Facebook to get updates.
Green Party councillor for the Ouseburn decision on North Yorkshire Council, Arnold Warneken, spoke to the utility company on behalf of residents during the problems.
He said:
“People understand that infrastructure can fail, particularly in extreme weather.
“What is not acceptable is a complete failure of communication and support — especially for vulnerable residents.
“This is basic, essential service provision, and Yorkshire Water failed to deliver it.”
Cllr Warneken said he was contacted by several people on the priority services register who were struggling to get the support they needed.
“It’s just not good enough. This has a big impact on people’s comfort and quality of life.
“This lack of communication, lack of priority services support and failure to provide alternative water raises serious questions about compliance with Ofwat standards.”
Cllr Warneken said the incident came at a time when customers were facing rising water bills.
He added:
“Aside from the duty of care – customers pay up-front for communication and emergency planning. They’re just not getting what they’ve paid for.
“We need water companies back in public ownership so that customers, not shareholders, come first.”
He has written to the board of Yorkshire Water, demanding assurances that vulnerable customers will be better supported in future incidents.
Yorkshire Water said they experienced a significant burst water main on York Road, near Green Hammerton, on 5th January.
A spokesperson added:
“Although this was repaired quickly, it caused a number of complications on the network in the area, which meant some customers experienced intermittent loss of supply or low pressure until the network was fully restored on 7 January.
“We apologise to the customers who were impacted over those days. We completed deliveries to almost 40 properties in the area on our priority services register and provided updates via text where we could. We understand for some customers, this did not go far enough, and we apologise.
“We will be completing a thorough internal review of this incident, and we will implement any improvements necessary to ensure we improve the service provided to customers in the event of supply problems in the future.”
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