Stannington Councillor keeps the pressure on Yorkshire Water

Liberal Democrat councillor Penny Baker has continued to press the chief executive of Yorkshire Water for answers over the Stannington gas flood, as several households continue to be cut off from heating due to water damage to their boilers. 

Responding to Yorkshire Water’s statements that they were investigating the cause of the burst and that compensation would be arranged between the parties, Cllr Baker pressed for transparency in the investigation and answers to why solutions hadn’t been found earlier. 

Cllr Baker speaking in Stannington said “There’s still no clarity over how this extraordinary incident occurred, and all Yorkshire Water have said is that they will determine liability behind closed doors. 

"That’s not good enough - its obvious that there are water pressure problems in the area, and Yorkshire Water have admitted this in their correspondence with us. There are solutions and alternatives that could have been implemented, such as pressure profiling work, pressure reduction and booster stations, but Yorkshire Water have instead negligently ignored the issue.

"I’m also concerned by the fact that the pipe which burst was asbestos concrete, as by Yorkshire Water’s own admission these pipes are less robust and have a predisposition to failure and cracking. How many more of these pipes are under our feet, ready to burst? 

"I’m happy to hear that independent investigators will be involved going forwards, but that’s the absolute minimum the people of Stannington expect. 

"We want timescales and transparency on the investigation into this major incident, so that lessons can be learned and those responsible can be held to account.”

Cllr Shaffaq Mohammed, leader of Sheffield Liberal Democrats, condemned the company, saying “This is far from the first time Yorkshire Water should be hanging its head in shame – they’ve dumped sewage in the Sheaf and the Don, have sat on their hands over leaking pipes, and have been assessed as ‘lagging behind’ by Ofwat, and yet they continue to post record profits and pay their executives massive bonuses. 

"We need an independent enquiry to establish what happened in Stannington, and we need real accountability for the decades long lack of investment which led to this emergency.”