Assembly Member wants "Victorian" pipes replacing

The Welsh Government must step in and put pressure on United Utilities to upgrade its ageing infrastructure following floods which resulted from a burst water main in Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant, according to 

Montgomeryshire Assembly Member, Russell George, took the opportunity of raising this incident with the Leader of the House, Jane Hutt AM, in the National Assembly for Wales.

Between 30 and 40 properties were affected last Friday by flooding following a burst water main which carries water from Lake Vyrnwy to Oswestry and then on to Liverpool.

Mr George said “Flooding is not a new phenomenon for Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant and work must now urgently take place to upgrade the ageing infrastructure which is clearly no longer fit for purpose.

“It was 63 years to the day that flooding previously ravaged the village and it appears as though little work has been undertaken in recent years to improve the infrastructure, with reports of pipes fracturing on a regular basis, often over farmland.

“Whilst much of this responsibility lies with the United Utilities in upgrading sections of its infrastructure, some of which date from the Victorian era, it is also essential that the Welsh Government reviews its flood risk management policy and does all it can to ensure that utility companies across Wales take steps to invest in their infrastructure and minimise the risk of flooding.

"Residents need to be reassured that their homes and businesses are not under immediate threat of a repeat of this devastating incident."

Cllr. Aled Davies, County Councillor for Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant, added: “The residents and businesses of Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant cannot have the threat of further flooding hanging over their heads any longer so I’m grateful to Russell for raising this matter with the Welsh Government 

“These four large pipes run from the one end of my council ward to the other and I have had reports of the pipes bursting on a regular basis, usually over farmland, which often doesn’t present a serious problem to anyone but the farmer. 

"But the increase in these occurrences clearly indicates that there is a wider problem which requires immediate action from United Utilities

“While I know the company have indicated that they have a regular programme of maintenance on the four main water pipes which carry water from Lake Vyrnwy to Oswestry, it is now time for significant investment in this Victorian infrastructure to ensure that an incident such as this never happens again.”

The Welsh Government Minister responded to Mr George saying that she would raise the matter with her colleagues. Mr George has also discussed the matter with Natural Resources Wales who agreed to raise the issue with the Environment Agency in England and report back.