Tens of thousand of homes could be without water until the weekend, says Southern Water
Almost 60,000 homes across Hampshire are without water because of a “technical issue” at a Southern Water supply works, the company has said.
Homes in Southampton, Romsey, Eastleigh, Totton, and parts of the New Forest have been affected by problems at the Testwood water supply works preventing water from leaving the site.
Southern Water apologised and said it was working hard to restore supplies, but warned the issue might continue until the weekend.
Long queues have been reported at bottle stations which have been set up at the Places Leisure Centre in Eastleigh, Sainsbury’s superstore in Southampton and Asda superstore in Totton.
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Bottled water distribution in Southampton. Pic Southern Water
Southern Water said they are continuing to deliver water supplies to customers registered on their priority list and estimate that around 58,000 homes have been affected.
It said they have supplied dedicated tankers to Southampton General Hospital and Princess Anne Hospital. Several schools in the area say they are unlikely to open today.
In a statement on its website, Southampton General said: “We are working with Southern Water on contingency arrangements to ensure our hospitals continue to maintain water supplies.”
It added: “We ask patients to continue to attend appointments as planned but to allow extra time for their journey and in accessing parking facilities, due to the access requirements being put in place to enable delivery of those supplies.”
Southern Water has said it hopes supply will be restored throughout Thursday, but said the issue may not be fully resolved until the weekend.
“We are working towards all customers being back in supply by the weekend,” it said.
The outage comes as consumers in England and Wales prepare to hear today how much water bills will rise.
Southern Water wants the regulator Ofwat to allow it to increase bills by a whopping 84%, while struggling Thames Water has asked for a 53% rise.
Ofwat is expected to announce that charges will increase by more than 20% by 2030, which means an average rise of £20 a year per household and the average bill rising from £448 a year to £542.
Ofwat’s draft decisions released in July allowed water companies to increase bills by an average of 21%, before inflation is added, over the next five years to help fund £88 billion of investment in improving services and the environment.
The proposed bill rises would begin to take effect from April next year.
Sir Keir Starmer says he has full confidence in Rachel Reeves after questions were raised about inaccuracies in her CV and her use of expenses in a previous job.
The chancellor has been accused by former employees of being involved in an “expenses scandal” while working at Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) from 2006 to 2009, according to the BBC.
She has also been accused of saying she worked for the Bank of England for longer than she did.
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The prime minister said the chancellor can be trusted and has no concerns about her conduct, Number 10 said.
Ms Reeves’ spokesperson said she was “not aware of an investigation, nor was she interviewed”. Her lawyer has denied the allegations.
One ex-colleague said she nearly got sacked after an investigation into three senior managers accused of “signing off each other’s expenses”.
This included spending hundreds of pounds on handbags, perfume, earrings and wine for colleagues, including one gift for her boss.
A whistleblower said there was also concern about her spending on taxis and on a Christmas party.
In a Facebook group of former HBOS employees seen by the BBC, several people referred to Ms Reeves being investigated over her expenses spending.
Pic: Reuters
Sir Keir’s official spokesman said it was “correct” the prime minister has “no concerns whatsoever” about the chancellor’s conduct and has confidence in her.
He also said: “I can’t speak to her time prior to government.
“The PM works hand in hand and has full faith in the chancellor.”
Sir Keir later said she has “dealt with any issues that arise” from questions about her career before becoming an MP.
Reeves lawyers deny wrongdoing
A spokesperson for Ms Reeves said: “Rachel is proud of the work she did at HBOS and the teams that she led, it is 16 years since she left the bank and the first time she was made aware of these claims was when approached by journalists.
“She was not aware of an investigation nor was she interviewed, and she did not face any disciplinary action on this or any other matters. All expenses were submitted and signed off in the proper way.
“Several former colleagues from her time at the bank, including HBOS’ former HR business partner, have corroborated this account.
“Rachel left HBOS in 2009 on good terms.”
Ms Reeves’s lawyer while she was leaving HBOS denied she had done anything wrong, saying she left HBOS with a “standard-style agreement” after a “mutually agreed exit was made during the bank’s restructure”.
David Sorensen, a managing partner at Morrish Solicitors, added: “My clear understanding at the time was that my client, who was in a senior role, left on good terms when HBOS plc was acquired in 2009, as evidenced by the payments made to her, the retention of her company car and other benefits for a six-month period, and a favourable reference.
“Absolutely no allegations of wrongdoing or misconduct were mentioned by the HBOS HR team during this process.”
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LinkedIn dates questioned
Questions have also been raised about Ms Reeves’ online CV, as her LinkedIn profile said she stayed at the Bank of England nine months longer than she actually did, the BBC has reported.
She has publicly said she spent a decade there, but her LinkedIn profile claimed she worked at the bank from September 2000 to December 2006.
However, she is understood to have left by March 2006, when she started working at HBOS.
That means she spent five and a half years at the bank, including nearly a year studying.
Ms Reeves’ spokesman, in a comment given to the BBC, said the dates on her LinkedIn were inaccurate and blamed an administrative error by her team.
They said the chancellor had not seen it before it was published.
The chancellor’s LinkedIn profile has now been updated to reflect she left the bank in March 2006.
Ms Reeves has repeatedly said she spent 10 years at the Bank of England, citing her time as an economist there as why she can be trusted with the UK’s finances.
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