Residents in Blackburn’s Pleckgate Road, Rhodes Avenue, Lammack Road, and parts of St James’ Road endured another weekend of unreliable water supply, with some homes losing pressure entirely or facing outright interruptions. The disruption peaked over Eid, when households in affected areas reported persistent low pressure or no water at all, extending frustrations that have simmered since autumn last year. Roe Lee Councillor Saj Ali described a pattern of inconsistent service affecting the same streets repeatedly, with residents enduring days of normal supply punctuated by sudden outages. “I get several messages regarding this issue,” Ali said. “Some days it is running normally, and other days people are suffering without water.”
United Utilities acknowledged the ongoing strain on the network, attributing it to essential maintenance at a local service reservoir over the past 18 months. During the works, water was rerouted from other parts of the network to maintain supply, but the company admitted that at peak demand times—such as weekends and religious holidays—pressure fluctuations became noticeable. “We know some customers have experienced fluctuations in pressure,” said Luke Hammond, Network Delivery Manager for Lancashire at United Utilities. The utility completed the reservoir work earlier this week and now expects pressure to return to normal, while offering a formal apology for the inconvenience.
The episode reflects a pattern of localized infrastructure strain in Blackburn, where residents on one stretch of St James’ Road endured nearly six weeks without water over a single weekend in January. Such recurring disruptions raise questions about the resilience of local water distribution systems in high-demand areas, particularly during seasonal peaks or cultural events when demand surges unpredictably. The utility’s admission of pressure fluctuations at peak times underscores a systemic vulnerability—one that could persist if aging infrastructure and demand growth outpace maintenance schedules.