Burst water pipe affects 12,700 properties in Goole

A burst water pipe affected 12,700 properties in Goole, Yorkshire, between 27 October and 13 November 2023, according to joint research by the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) and Ofwat published on 3 April 2024¹. Customers experienced low water pressure, murky and gritty water, or had no water at all¹.

The research is the fourth piece of joint work the two bodies have conducted on customers' experiences when water services go wrong¹. Its key findings were that the vast majority of customers received no direct communication, that information from other sources was insufficient, and that there was no projected timescale for resolution¹. Some residents were frustrated that an alternative water supply, whether bottled water stations or deliveries, was not proactively offered to them, especially vulnerable participants; those who requested a delivery felt the process was not well managed, citing slow response and poor communication¹.

On compensation, the research found that payments were not granted automatically to those entitled to them, appearing to contradict Yorkshire Water's Customer Charter¹. Several respondents did not receive any money, either because they were not aware compensation was available, were unwilling to apply, or because their claim had not been actioned¹. The overall feeling from those spoken to was that Yorkshire Water had not handled the incident well, with limited and ineffectual communication at the heart of their frustration¹.

Why it matters for households

The Goole incident shows how a single burst main can affect thousands of households at once, and that the practical difficulties can continue after the pipe is repaired. The research covers the period from 27 October to 13 November 2023, so the disruption lasted more than a fortnight for the properties involved¹. Households affected faced three different problems: low pressure, discoloured and gritty water, and complete loss of supply¹. The findings also indicate that households should not assume bottled water, deliveries or compensation will be offered without being asked for; the research records that alternative supplies were not proactively offered to some residents, including vulnerable participants, and that compensation was not granted automatically to those entitled to it¹.

For households wanting to check whether an interruption is affecting their area, the site's guide on how to check if there is an outage sets out the steps. Where supply has stopped, the supply interruption checklist covers what to have ready, and the guide on how long until supply is restored explains what information companies normally provide. A burst pipe can be reported using the guidance on how to report no water or a burst pipe. Where water runs brown or gritty after work on the network, the guide on brown or discoloured tap water explains whether it is safe and how long it usually takes to clear. The water hub and the home emergencies hub collect the wider material.

What happens next

CCW said Yorkshire Water must bring the matter to a satisfactory conclusion and that it would challenge the company to ensure this happens¹. At the time of publication, four months after the incident, CCW said the company had yet to address the issue of compensation for all of those affected¹. No further dated steps, and no response from Yorkshire Water, have been reported.