THOUSANDS of homes will be without water for at least 24 hours after rising temperatures caused pipes to burst.

The drastic jump from last week’s -17.3C to yesterday’s 15.9C sparked carnage in Britain’s waterways just days before Christmas.

5

5

5

Some 15,000 homes and businesses have been cut off across Sussex and Kent, with thousands more in Lancashire.

South East Water blamed melting snow and thawing ice for the “dramatic increase” in the number of burst water mains.

Customers in East Grinstead, West Sussex, and large areas of Kent are relying on bottled water to see them through.

It is not known how long the “major” disruption will last, but some people have already been waiting 24 hours.

South East Water incident director Douglas Whitfield said: “There is an immediate increase in demand for water.

“Our team of technicians are working around the clock using a variety of methods to reroute water around the network and ease pressure on our system.

“On a normal winter’s day we extract, treat and pump an average of 520 million litres of drinking water a day to customers.

“During the past 24 hours this has increased by 100 million litres to 620 million.

“This has resulted in many of our drinking water storage tanks, which hold treated water before it is pumped to customers’ taps, going empty or very low.

“Although we planned for this, we cannot predict when and where pipes will burst and are reacting as quickly as possible.”

Residents in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, have been unable to wash or flush their toilets for the last four days because of a burst pipe.

They have instead had to travel miles for showers and toilet trips, with some using local gym’s or friends’ houses in neighbouring towns.

Households in Morecambe and Lancaster have also been left without running water for at least 24 hours.

United Utilities said it took the “difficult decision” to turn off supplies after higher-than-normal reports of leaks and bursts.

Warmer air from Madeira, Portugal, has quickly swept into the UK bringing an “extraordinary” temperature rise after days of wintry conditions.

The Met Office said 14C was widely seen on Monday, with an unseasonable high of 15.9C in Hawarden in Flintshire, Wales.

And today, the mercury is expected to hit 12C in Dover, hovering in high single figures elsewhere.

‘EXTRAORDINARY RISE’

The warm spell comes after Braemar in Scotland saw a daytime high of -9.3C and a night-time low of -17.3C this time last week, while other places experienced lows of -10C to -15C in the following days.

Dr Stephen Burt, a meteorology expert at the University of Reading, where temperatures have changed from -5C last week to 12C on Monday, called it an “extraordinary rise of almost 20C in a few days”.

He explained how the sudden rise had been caused by a change in airmass after warmer air travelled rapidly north.

“Very mild and humid tropical maritime air from the region of Madeira transported quickly north and eastwards to our islands because of the development of a major North Atlantic depression over the past couple of days,” Dr Burt said.

“The tropical airmass displaced a cold and dry northerly airflow which persisted over the British Isles for most of last week, and several clear nights allowed widespread severe frost to develop.

“The British Isles often lies on the border between cold, dry Arctic airmasses and those originating from well south of our latitude, and such changes from very cold to very mild, or vice versa, are very much a feature of our winter climate – although not often with the degree or rapidity of the changes experienced within the past 24 to 36 hours.”

He added that people in the UK “will certainly welcome the reduction in energy bills” as warmer temperatures kick in.

Drivers getting away for Christmas need to be on their guard.

Rod DennisRAC

The milder conditions have also come with heavy rainfall, especially across the South West, causing the risk of flooding and travel disruption.

A total of 23 flood warnings and 78 flood alerts are in force across England, with a further 10 in Wales and five in Scotland.

Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: “Temperatures have changed from well below average to way above average for this time of year.”

By Tuesday, temperatures will start to dip as skies clear with “fairly reasonable conditions” through to December 25, the forecaster added.

“From Friday and Christmas weekend, clear air will travel south-west into Scotland and may come further south-west by the time we get to Christmas Day.”

The RAC put a severe traffic warning in place and urged drivers to be “on their guard” as the wet weather conditions coincide with Christmas travel picking up.

Spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “With weather conditions in many places this week being almost the exact opposite of last week, drivers getting away for Christmas need to be on their guard.

“Snow and ice is melting rapidly, leading to lots of surface spray, and in some parts the cold, clear conditions have been replaced with heavy rain and strong winds.

“It’s vital drivers slow down for the conditions, taking particular care on high and exposed rural routes.”

Some train services, including South Western Railway, have been hit by delays due to heavy rain and high winds.

5

5