Schools in west Wales closed and thousands left without water as pipes burst due to cold weather
Thousands of people in west Wales have been left without running water after "extreme" cold weather caused pipes to burst.
A number of villages in Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire have been without water since 9pm on Saturday (December 17).
Welsh Water has arranged for bottled water collection points in two areas, but some residents face a 45 minute drive to access them due to how large the affected area is.
Bottled water can be collected from the Mart Car Park, Newcastle Emlyn, SA38 9BA and from St Tysul Church, Llandysul, SA44 4QN.
Ceredigion County Council has said the following schools are closed because of the incident:
Ysgol Ciliau Parc
Ysgol Llangwyryfon
Ysgol Gynradd Aberteifi
Ysgol Dihewyd
Ysgol Talgarreg
Ysgol Llannon
Ysgol Gyfun Aberaeron
Ysgol Bro Teifi
Canolfan Aeron, Ceredigion Pupil Referral Unit (PRU)
The council has also said that all day centres in the mid and south of the county are closed, as well as Aberaeron Leisure Centre.
Mum of two, Danielle Jones, says she's been without water since Saturday morning and is struggling to get reserves in for her children, who are aged five and seven.
The family live in north Cardigan and are aware of some people nearby who have not had water since Friday night.
Danielle said: "We reported it Saturday morning and we were told it was likely a frozen pipe in the area and that it would be back on that afternoon, by the time we got home we realised it was more widespread.
"We were told it was something to do with the reservoir that they were struggling to get water from there.
"Because we are classed as a priority as we have a child under five they told us they would send water out but we haven't had any yet. We are about 40 minutes from Llandysul so we can't go there. Luckily I was able to add some water to our Asda delivery on Saturday night.
"I'm not as worried about us but I know there are so many elderly people in the area, how are they getting water? I expect the shops in our area are completely sold out of water now. Also families with young babies who need formula, you can't make formula without water."
Local councillor Elizabeth Evans shared on Facebook that there may not be water over the next few days and Ceredigion Council are trying to procure water to everyone that needs it, even though this is the responsibility of Dwr Cymru.
Cllr Evans told ITV Cymru Wales: "We’re basically first of all trying to get towards the most vulnerable. I’ve just spoken to Dwr Cymru before coming on this call and they’re going to put out a press release shortly. There’s very little they can tell us at the moment.
"I know that there’s been water tankers down in Llandysul, there’s been water stations, but unfortunately they’ve run out, due to the demand.
"They are trying to increase the levels of the water and to divert water but the demand is so great by now that they are struggling. There are so many burst pipes throughout the county, not just Ceredigion but Carmarthenshire and north Pembrokeshire as well."
Cllr Evans added: "Please do not rely on the information on the Dwr Cymru website, there is a delay in information coming through.
"Care homes - water is being delivered and toilets will be provided where necessary. Leisure centres - will update when we know more. Businesses - you may not have water to function. Particularly check if you have running water before switching on your coffee machines, as the elements will burn."
Wendy Wright from Llandysul has said she is disappointed with Welsh Water over their communication.
"The website on Saturday implied that the problem would be resolved by the evening but by the time we went to the water station in Llandysul yesterday, one of the stewards implied he expected to be there until at least Tuesday because of the scale of the problem."
Welsh Water has issued an apology to any of their customers who have lost supply over the weekend.
A statement read: "Following last week's prolonged freezing temperatures, we put plans in place ahead of the rapid thaw over the weekend across our operating area. However due to the ground moving as it has thawed, we have seen a threefold increase in burst mains compared to normal. We have had our full emergency response team mobilised to deal with the situation and had more than 750 colleagues out working to find and fix leaks as quickly as possible."In rural Ceredigion our response has been hampered due to the number of burst mains in the area and leak detection has been hampered further by the heavy rain on Sunday. We have however been taking steps to try and restore supplies by putting 25% more water through the system there – which is more than was needed during the peak of the summer heatwave – and also using our fleet of tankers to move water around. We have also supplied 30,000 bottles of water and also ensured that we delivered water to customers on our priority services register.
“We are hoping that parts of the network in the area will re-pressurise during today and bring more customers back onto supply. Customers can also help by checking any taps around their properties are turned off. We are also moving more resources into the area to help restore supplies. At this stage however we are unable to confirm when all supplies will be returned but we are working as hard as we can to do so.
"We again apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused and thank them for their patience."