Severn Trent Water is aware of a discoloration of water issue in Birmingham
Severn Trent Water have responded to complaints after a number of Birmingham residents woke up to discover “brown water” coming out of their taps this morning.
Brummies across the city posted concerned tweets along with photos of discoloured water in sinks, basins and bath tubs, but water company Severn Trent – responsible for the supply of water to Birmingham – have insisted the water is safe to use.
In some parts of the city, the problem was identified as early as yesterday evening.
@MyJQ @stwater anyone know why the water has gone brown this evening? pic.twitter.com/TAypQIYpNH
— Michelle Leavesley (@Leavesm) December 13, 2016
@stwater we seem of have brown water coming from the mains in B12 9QB Help, I want a drink!
— James Gillies (@James_Gillies) December 14, 2016
@stwater water is B24 severely discoloured
— Anthony Akuoko (@aakuokoa) December 14, 2016
Responding to public concerns earlier today, a statement from Severn Trent read:
“This morning we’ve discovered an issue which has caused water supplies to be discoloured for some of our customers in B12, B13, B18, B20 & B21 in Birmingham. Although unappealing, we have no reason to believe there is any risk to your health, however we understand that whilst the supply is discoloured you may choose not to drink the water.
“Discolouration is normally caused by harmless sediment at the bottom of water pipes being disturbed. We have teams out in the areas affected flushing the sediment from the pipes and we hope that this will resolve the problem.
“The flushing that we’re doing should remove the sediment from the main pipes in the street, however some of the discoloured water may have made its way into your supply pipes, so you can help to resolve this themselves by flushing their own pipes. To do this you will need to run the first mains fed cold water tap in your house, normally at the kitchen sink, at a gentle rate for up to 20 minutes. If the supply is not clear then turn off the tap for 20 minutes and then repeat the process, you may need to do this several times before the supply is clear.”
Images and reports have also been posted of discoloured water in Birmingham city centre today, in the B1 area.
Oi!!!! Why is the water brown in Moseley Birmingham??? @stwater
— 4elaine henson (@elliejh4) December 14, 2016
@stwater The water in Moseley and B12 is an offish yellow colour, I’ve seen other tweets about it to so it is not just my house…
— Sabah (@Unavailable1996) December 14, 2016
@stwater the water from the sink this morning? Anyone know why this is happening ? pic.twitter.com/wc7swWnv9N
— Ikhlas (@DeenInspired) December 14, 2016
We are aware of an issue with discoloured water in #Birmingham this morning. For more advice on this please see: https://t.co/4e0ug1nNqS
— Severn Trent (@stwater) December 14, 2016
Tap water in some south Birmingham homes appeared discoloured last month too, on 23 November, following a major leak in Selly Oak where millions of gallons of water had flooded into Harborne Lane.
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What causes discoloured water?
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What causes discoloured water? (Image: Severn Trent Water)
Burst pipes, changes in direction or speed of water flow and old plumbing and pipe work can cause your water to be discoloured. It may look orange, yellow, brown or black when that happens. On the whole this can be cleared quite quickly by running your tap for about 20 minutes.
If the water doesn’t clear or this happens often, call Severn Trent Water on 0800 783 4444 to let them know. This line is open 24 hours a day seven days a week.
Need more info? Download the factsheet here.
Water appears to be discoloured/brown in various parts of #Birmingham from B1 to B13. @STwater are aware of issue. Are you having problems? pic.twitter.com/msx5FNuiKn
— I Am Birmingham (@IAmBirmingham) December 14, 2016
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Stay Updated
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Severn Trent will be posting updates (about the situation as they get information from their engineers and incident control team) here. They’ll also be tweeting updates from their official twitter account: @stwater.
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