An East Lancashire MP has waded-in to help frustrated residents who are facing repeated disruption to their water pipes.

High water pressure has caused continuous problems for people living in Billington in the Ribble Valley, and now, after months of homeowners complaining to the water board, MP Nigel Evans has called for United Utilities to do more to fix the ongoing issues.

Residents in the village have suffered burst pipes, water shortages, leaks and breakages, with one resident even having to replace his flooring three times in three years because of the high pressure.

United Utilities offered compensation of just £25 to affected residents, which Mr Evans said needs to be reviewed.

READ:United Utilities offer Ribble Valley residents 'insulting' £25 as 'sorry' for continuous water problems

The Ribble Valley MP said: “While there will always be unexpected breakages and issues with infrastructure, the situation residents in Billington are facing is extremely serious.

"Many residents are living in fear that their pipes will burst at any moment, and the level of disruption they are experiencing is completely unacceptable.

Lancashire Telegraph:

“Despite having to pay for repairs to their homes, the compensation that United Utilities have offered so far is simply not enough.

"I’ve written to the chief executive of United Utilities to ask for more to be done to prevent damage to people’s homes, and to ask for more meaningful compensation to be given to affected residents.

"I hope that one day we can look back at these issues as water under the bridge, but we need further action from United Utilities to make that possible."

READ: Ribble Valley residents living in fear that water pipes could 'blow any minute'

Cllr Ged Mirfin, who represents Whalley and Painter Wood has been campaigning since July 2018 on the issue of the sturdiness and reliability of the underground water supply network.

He issued United Utilities with a Freedom of Information Request on the frequency, location and duration of burst water mains in the Ribble Valley following a spate of outages in Billington.

He said: "Billington came joint top as the location with the highest number of burst water mains.

"Since then the problem has worsened with a number of bursts caused by high water pressure from the late summer onwards and during the autumn causing severe disruption.

"To say the customer service response from United Utilities has been poor is an understatement."

Mr Mirfin said householders ought to be fully compensated for the money they've had to spend to repair damages to their properties.

He added: "The measly £25 on offer to fit regulator valves is not good enough.

"This won’t even cover the cost of a valve let alone the call out charges of a plumber.

“Immediate remedial action is required with regulator valves being fitted free of charge in all affected properties in the village."

Lancashire Telegraph:

A spokesperson for United Utilities said the water supply network in and around Billington operates towards the high end of the pressure range that is typical for the North West.

The spokesperson commented: "A combination of water pressure and the age of some of the water mains in the area has meant there have been a number of bursts and we have been working on a long-term solution to the issue.

"At the end of September we installed a pressure management valve and we are currently preparing to install another three valves around the area.

"We are gradually reducing the pressure to help prevent the risk of bursts.

"In the meantime, we recognise the inconvenience caused by unexpected interruptions to supply and that is why we made a goodwill payment to residents.”