10.45am - Severn Trent bowsers still missing

MORE than a quarter of the water bowsers distributed in Gloucestershire are still missing.

A total of 1,800 bowsers - mobile vessels filed with fresh water - were planted across Gloucestershire during last summer's floods.

They provided water for thousands of homes which were left without a water supply after the Mythe water treatment plant flooded, contaminating supplies.

Today it emerged that Severn Trent has only recovered 75 per cent of the bowsers.

Around 300 are thought to have been stolen and sold on - some on eBay - while dozens of others have been vandalised.

Meanwhile Severn Trent today claimed it had made “good progress” since last summer's disaster.

In a statement issued today the company said:

A year on from the floods that gripped large parts of Gloucestershire last summer, Severn Trent Water is able to report good progress on measures it has taken to protect water supplies across the region.

“Last summer's events brought into sharp focus for all the utilities of the importance of being prepared for such emergencies, and the need for all agencies to work together,” said Severn Trent's Chief Executive Tony Wray.

“We've learned many lessons from the floods and can now show resulting improvements in our flood defences, in our long-term water supply resilience which means we will be able to substitute one key asset with another without loss of supply; and in our contingency planning should supplies fail.

Customers rightly place very high value on the continuity of supply of both clean water and sewerage services, and support long-term investment to secure this.”

He added: “Severn Trent has not been working in isolation on these projects and over the past 12 months, has worked closely with the Environment Agency and with local authorities to find ways of ensuring that together, we are better able to cope with such events.”

In the aftermath of the flooding, Severn Trent conducted a thorough review of flood defences at all its key sites and has already implemented a number of improvements ? with well over £40m being spent around the county.

These improvements include:

· Installation of additional flood defences at the Mythe Water

Treatment Works. Currently, these are semi permanent in nature, but work

is under way to design a new permanent barrier. Much work has yet to be

done on this (we are currently at feasibility study and outline design

stage) and it will take around two-three years before any new, permanent

defences can be constructed.

· A £12m programme of works to alleviate sewage flooding problems in

Gloucester.

· Additional measures and expansion work (£3.3m) at Big Normans sewage

pumping station in Longlevens in Gloucester.

The company is also planning a £25m network reinforcement project in Gloucestershire which will help secure supplies for its customers in the future.

Severn Trent acknowledged that there were other areas highlighted during the flooding where improvements could be made, and has taken a number of additional measures as a result.

A major issue concerned the location and operation of water bowsers. These were used to supply those without on-tap water with a supply that could be used for drinking and cooking.

Tony Wray said: “We have spent some time looking at how the deployment of bowsers had worked, and the associated problems. Calling on third party advice from logistics experts, we have developed a new approach,including the use of satellite navigation and imagery, and more detailed information regarding the right locations for the bowsers. We put this new approach to the test in Leicester in May and the results showed marked improvements.

“We have also put other measures in place that we believe would enable us to continue to provide our customers with piped water supplies. However, should the events of last summer be repeated, we are confident that the revised bowser plans would enable us to make more effective use of emergency supplies if necessary.”

Another issue that became apparent during the floods was that there was some confusion over the way Severn Trent labelled different districts, often for historical reasons. The way it described locations didn't always match up to customers' understanding of them ? so it has amended and updated its systems accordingly.

For many customers in the affected areas, the impact of the emergency went much deeper than simply leaving them without water supplies. In recognition of the difficulties many people faced during the summer and beyond, Severn Trent Water set up a special £3.5m recovery fund for the county.

The company worked with local authorities, voluntary organisations and other key local stakeholders to determine how it could use these funds in a way which ensures the money goes to local projects which need it most, and makes a genuine contribution to the local economy.

These are just some of the projects to benefit:

· Rescue hovercraft for Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue service

· Restored footpaths across the district of Stroud

· Funding for Gloucestershire First in boosting the local tourist

economy

· Money to help retailers and other businesses in Tewkesbury,

Winchcombe and Bishop's Cleeve get back on their feet

· Extra community flood protection in Tewkesbury and Stroud district

· New rescue boat for the local RNLI

· Restored footbridge in Sapperton

· Largest single contribution to the Gloucester Flood Relief Fund -

financial help for those in hardship

· Help for Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust in restoring habitats

· Water rescue equipment for Cheltenham Animal Centre.