Burst water main causes damage to Lerwick homes

A burst water main led to localised flooding in Lerwick during the early hours of Sunday, leaving around 30 customers in Upper Sound without any supply and causing damage to two properties.

Scottish Water said on Monday that the burst happened on one of the large water mains that supply the town from the Sandy Loch water treatment works.

Work was carried out to isolate the burst and ensure other mains were used to keep the majority of customers supplied.

However, some in the town experienced low water pressure well into Sunday.

Scottish Water said in a statement: “A burst occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning on one of the large water mains that supplies customers in Lerwick from our water treatment works at Sandy Loch.

“Our local team responded quickly to isolate the burst and was then able to use other water mains to keep the great majority of customers in the town supplied with water.

“We regret that localised flooding and wash-out occurred as a result of the burst, particularly affecting two properties adjacent to the burst, and we are in touch with the customers to remedy the damage caused.”

The statement added: “Until repair work on the water main was completed at around 7pm, around 30 customers in Upper Sound were without water and our local team distributed bottled water to the households affected.

“Customers in other parts of the town may have experienced lower than usual water pressure or discolouration as a result of the work to maintain supply while the repair was ongoing; and to restore normal operation of the water network once it was complete.

“We would like to apologise for the disruption caused and thank customers for their patience while we worked to complete repairs and restore normal service.”