'Brown and orange' water coming out of taps as United Utilities issue update

People living in one town in the Liverpool City Region have reported their water looks ‘brown and orange’. Reports began coming through of ‘discoloured water’ in Runcorn today.

One resident on Facebook asked: “Anyone's cold water running brown?” One person replied: "Yes, ours is.” Another added: “Ours is still orange after running it for nearly an hour now.”

The posts came after reports of a burst water main on Astmoor Industrial Estate which led to changes to bus services. Arriva posted on X, formerly Twitter, at 9.39am this morning (Friday) to say: "Due to a water mains burst on the Astmoor Industrial Estate service 110 will be diverted to Astmoor Road in both directions until further notice."

In a further update at 9.52am, it was announced another bus service had been affected. The post said: “Due to a water mains burst on the Astmoor Industrial Estate services 110 and 200 will be diverted to Astmoor Road in both directions until further notice.”

A spokesperson for United Utilities told the ECHO early this afternoon a team was on the way to investigate. In a post on its website, United Utilities said: “We have received a number of calls from customers in the WA7, Runcorn area, letting us know that their tap water is discoloured.

“This has happened because of a disturbance in the water mains in your area. Historical sediments that have built up over time in the water pipe have been disturbed causing discolouration to your water. This normally happens when we have carried out a repair or have replaced a section of water main.

“We know it doesn’t look nice but don’t worry, it’s unlikely to be harmful and will settle down again with time. You can help by letting your cold water tap run at a slight trickle until your water runs clear again.

“In the meantime we’ll be keeping an eye on this to make sure your tap water returns to normal again as quickly as possible. Please take a look at our discoloured water page for more information. We're sorry for any inconvenience this maybe causing.”

Shortly after, at 1.50pm, a new post on United Utilities' website said: “Some customers are reporting discoloured water in your area. This is due to a burst on Dalton Court causing disruption to the water mains in the area. Our team are on site flushing the water mains in your area, to help to resolve the discolouration to your water supply.

“Please continue to follow the advice on our discoloured water page, if you are still experiencing discoloured water. We’re sorry for any disruption this may be causing, and thanks for your patience whilst we get this resolved.”

Dalton Court is a road based within the industrial estate, off Astmoor Road. Earlier this week, people in Liverpool reported their tap water 'tasted and smelt like mud'.

United Utilities said it was looking into the difference in taste and smell to water across Cheshire and Merseyside, but have said that it is safe to use as normal.