Eden Valley water supplies incident - Frequently asked questions

I have some water coming through my tap but it looks brown or cloudy. Can I use it?

It is quite common for sediment that normally lies at the bottom of pipework to become disturbed when pressure drops or the water goes off. This may be happening as the water supplies come on and off while we are continuing with the repair work to get services back to normal.

Sometimes air can become trapped within the water and this causes it to look cloudy.  

You can read and view a lot more advice about these issues here

Further help and information from Public Health England

How do I keep my hands clean without mains water?

It is still very important to ensure that your hands are clean before cooking food and eating as many gastrointestinal illnesses are transmitted through dirty hands. The very young and the elderly are especially vulnerable. For this reason you should:

• Use any water you have for hand hygiene first before you use it for showering and bathing
• Always wash your hands after using the toilet
• Use antibacterial hand gels or wipes if you have them, however, it’s important to understand that hand gels are only effective on clean hands. They are not effective if hands are soiled.
• Be extra vigilant in supervising small children to keep their hands clean.

How do I maintain personal hygiene when water is in short supply?

A small amount of water can be used to fill a bathroom sink and used for personal washing with soap. Separate cloths should be used for the face and genital areas. Each person in the household should have their own designated cloth and towel. You can include using sanitary wipes or alcohol-based gels. You should note that alcohol-based gels cannot be used on the face or genital areas.

How do I maintain a clean environment at home without mains water?

The most important places to keep clean are the surfaces where food is prepared or eaten, the toilet and wash hand basins in bathrooms. Surfaces and sinks can be cleaned with disinfectant wipes or if a small amount of water is available use a clean cloth and the usual cleaning solutions. Toilet cleaner and domestic bleach can be used to clean toilets.

How do I flush my toilet without mains water?

Flushing a toilet uses three to seven litres of water so it is important that unnecessary flushing does not take place.

• Toilets do not require sterile water for flushing
• Wastewater can be used to flush the toilet, such as dish water. You can fill the cistern with that water or pour it down the toilet until the toilet is cleared
• Rain water can be collected in buckets and used for this purpose.

As a reminder, we have free water supplies available at our bottled water stations at:

• Glenridding Village Hall, Penrith, CA11 OQA
• The Crown Inn, Ivegill, CA4 0PT
• Shap Memorial Hall, Shap, Penrith CA10 3NL
• Market Square, Kirkby Stephen, CA17 4QN
• Moot Hall, Boroughgate, Appleby-in-Westmorland, CA16 6XE
• Pooley Bridge Village Hall, Pooley Bridge, Penrith, CA10 2NL
• Greystoke Village Greystoke, Penrith, CA11 0TP
• Tebay Services (Northbound), Westmorland Place, Orton, CA10 3SB
• Brough Memorial Hall, Brough, CA17 4AS

What if I have no transport and I can’t get to one of these stations?

• Please call us on 0345 672 3723 and we will see if we are able to help. Also, please see whether any of your neighbours may be able to assist you.
• If you are elderly or vulnerable please sign up to our priority services register. More information can be found here.