Water woes hit Cumbernauld homes on big day

Scottish Water has once again had to issue an apology to residents who were affected by a burst water main for several hours- on a day when many were entertaining family and friends.

The emergency struck in the afternoon in Kildrum when many were settling down to their traditional Ne’er Day fare - only to find out that there was no water coming from any tap in their home.

This is the second incident involving a breakdown with the water supply in Cumbernauld in weeks - after irate residents got in touch with us about a similar incident in Abronhill on Sunday, November 17.

However, this is the latest in a string of water cut-offs which have disrupted households in recent years.

MSP Jamie Hepburn has slammed the quango for the fact that the issue has cropped up time and time again in Cumbernauld

He said: “Whilst it seems unlikely to be related to previous incidents which have been in other parts of Cumbernauld, it is still very disappointing to hear of another water mains burst locally, particularly at such an inconvenient time of year for those who were impacted by it.

He then pledged to contact Scottish Water on behalf of any constituents who wanted to complain.

Meanwhile Scottish Water said that steps had been taken to deal with the January 1 incident and that engineers were sent out to deal with the issue as a matter of urgency.

A spokesperson added: “Our operatives carried out a repair to a burst pipe on a six-inch water main in Braehead Road, Kildrum on Wednesday 1 January.

“We understand how frustrating these incidents can be and apologise to anyone affected by loss of normal supply.”

When quizzed as to why this keeps happening in Cumbernauld, the spokesperson insisted again that the matter was being dealt with.

She added: “We are continuing work to identify any further improvements to our water supply network in the Cumbernauld area. This is to help reduce the risk of future interruptions to supply.”

It has been revealed that the first signs of trouble emerged on Hogmanay - after water was seen pouring from a leak buried behind bushes alongside Braehead Road.

A resident said: “We were just heading to our house after visiting relatives and suddenly realised the entire pathway at the front was underwater.

“It was a bit of a shock - I’ve never had a water feature before!”

For more on this story, see this week’s edition of the Cumbernauld News - out today.