Meet the village in Milton Keynes where there's not enough water to go round
Residents living in an village left entirely without water during the heatwave are demanding to know why their supplies are so low.
People in Little Brickhill had no water at all coming from their taps during Tuesday (May 26) when temperatures hit 30 degrees or more.
They were restored, albeit with low pressure, overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday, when Anglian Water brought in water trucks.
Now the village, which has a mere 200 dwellings, is concerned about future probelms due to supply and water pressure – particularly when plans to build hundreds more homes all around them come into effect.
The Little Brickhill area is earmarked in Plan MK2050 as a major urban expansion zone with 1,250 homes planned at Levante Gate plus 1,500 more on an adjoining site south of Bow Brickhill .
This is in addition to around 4,000 dwellings planned and still to be built in the South East Milton Keynes expansion area contained within the existing Plan MK.
Danesborough Ward councillor David Hopkins said: “There are ongoing concerns...Can the water supplier meet the inevitable demands this will place uponthe water company?”
He is calling for an urgent round table meeting to be called by MK City Council involving Anglian Water, council Strategic Planners, The Greensand Ridge Trust, Bedford Estates and Bow Brickhill and Little Brickhill Parish Council and Little Brickhill Parish Councils.,
Bucks and MK Fire Authority will also be urged to attend due to concerns that there would not be enough water to tackle fires in the area. Recently there was an incident where water pressure failed during a fire at a farm barn.
"Water in fire engines had to be driven repeatedly to the scene of a fire when the water pressure from the local fire hydrants proved to offer insufficient,” he said Cllr Hopkins.
“All these concerns must be aired and assurances provided as to just how Anglian Water intends to provide this crucial and basic resource to the existing and future community,” he added.
“It’s time to sort these fundamental yet unanswered questions now otherwise these will all have to go before the hearings of the Planning Inspectorate later in the year when Plan MK2050 goes before government for endorsement and effective ‘sign off’.”