Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 23RD - 29TH NOVEMBER 2018 | 25 Customers its response to the incident – particularly in getting alternative supplies to communities in need. The company has to work in some remote areas. Therefore, it says, its vehicle fleet, including a snow plough and 4x4 vehicles, is "fully winter ready". "We've been work- ing closely with operational teams to ensure adequate supplies of grit and other essen- tials," says Clarke. "This winter we have built on our previous capability by increasing the number of Water on Wheels tankers from 27 to 40 and creating a new team to co-ordinate the vehicles and free up more driver time." The firm has also expanded the reach of its priority services scheme for vulner- able customers, including a successful data- sharing trial with Electricity North West, which it says has given it a much better over- view of customers most in need of help. Clarke adds: "In terms of response, the weather outlook is a key feature of our daily incident manager meetings, so we are poised to initiate emergency plans from the minute the forecast comes in. That head start means that by the time the cold weather begins we are already prepared for the problems we might encounter with the thaw, with pre- pared communications for our customers and operational teams at all stages. "In the longer term we are working with the Met Office and Thames Water to see what the developing science of weather forecast- ing can do for the water industry in future. Weather data, which gives utility companies better situational awareness, will help us anticipate problems even more accurately, so we can proactively advise and deliver sup- port exactly when our customers need it." Northumbrian Water Northumbrian Water, another high performer in Ofwat's report, claims to be fully prepared for a cold snap. Water director Eliane Algaard says: "Colder weather conditions can lead to an increase in burst pipes, so we are taking a proactive approach to reducing leakage across our network. We have put additional resources into finding and fixing leaks and launched an online interactive leak map, making it easier for our customers to report leaks to us and track the progress of repairs." Like United Utilities, the company is mak- ing full use of the priority services register by encouraging its vulnerable customers to sign up, so it can ensure those most in need are still able to access water in the event of severe weather conditions. "While our strong track record for provid- ing reliable and resilient services was put to the test in some extreme weather conditions this year, we were recognised by Ofwat in the MET OFFICE WEATHER WARNINGS FOR SEVERE WEATHER IN MARCH 2018 COMPARISON OF WEATHER CONDITIONS IN THE MET OFFICE MIDLANDS REGION Likelihood Impact Highest weather warning (N/A, yellow, amber, red) Highest likelihood (N/A, very low, low, medium, high) 15 10 5 0 -5 -10 -15 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Day Temperature °C 2010-11 min and max 2018 min and max Source: Ofwat Source: Ofwat

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