Northern Lincs council leader wants water company outage answers
Isle of Axholme and Winterton have reportedly suffered long spells with no suppies or badly reduced pressure
Last updated 1st Feb 2026
A council leader has demanded urgent action from regional water providers after repeated supply failures in parts of North Lincolnshire. A number of residents and businesses in settlements including the Isle of Axholme and Winterton are reported to have experienced prolonged periods without water, or with severely reduced pressure during recent incidents.
Council leader Cllr Rob Waltham has written formally to both Yorkshire Water and Anglian Water, demanding clear answers and immediate improvements. “Residents in Winterton and across the Isle of Axholme are rightly frustrated.
“Repeated water outages are simply unacceptable.” Both water companies have confirmed they are in contact with the council over the concerns raised.
Cllr Waltham stressed it was not about a single incident or location. “We are seeing repeated disruption across different parts of North Lincolnshire, served by different water companies, and the impact on residents and local businesses is significant. I have written to both providers to demand clear explanations of what has gone wrong, what immediate steps are being taken to prevent a repeat, and how residents will be properly supported and compensated.”
The local authority has raised concerns over the frequency and duration of water outages across the Isle of Axholme, as well as confusion over bottled water provision and emergency support. Yorkshire Water is the supplier written to in respect of the Isle’s issues.
Anglian Water is responsible for Winterton’s water supply. The council is calling on both companies to:
Provide assurance that local networks are resilient and fit for purpose.
Improve emergency response and on-the-ground support during incidents.
Communicate clearly and proactively with residents.
Simplify and fairly apply compensation arrangements.
Cllr Waltham added: “Access to clean, reliable water is a basic necessity, not a luxury. Residents should not be left without answers or forced to fight for support after being without supply.
“Both water companies must now step up and put things right immediately.” Urgent meetings have been requested with senior representatives from Yorkshire Water and Anglian Water, including to agree concrete actions to prevent further disruption.
Water companies’ responses
“We recently met the local ward members of North Lincolnshire Council to discuss recent disruption to services and outlined our actions to restore services as quickly as possible,” said a Yorkshire Water spokesperson. “We appreciate that the supply interruptions are deeply frustrating for customers and we took the opportunity at the meeting to outline our plans for future investment in the area.
“This includes a draft plan to potentially replace 3.1km of mains that will improve reliability of drinking water supply, reduce leakage, and prevent water main bursts in the area.” The spokesperson added the work is part of £8.3bn investment by Yorkshire Water over the next five years “on improving our impact on the environment and our service for customers.
“We look forward to continuing to update the local authority and leader on our progress and increasing awareness about the work we’re doing to improve.”
Anglian Water has confirmed it is in contact with council leader Cllr Waltham. The company is set to deliver its largest-ever single year of investment in its water and sewerage infrastructure.
From April, it is to spend £1.6bn in improvements, up nine per cent on the 2025/26 financial year. More widely, water companies including Anglian Water and Yorkshire Water have also announced this week price rises.
The average annual Anglian Water bill is to go up by £44, to £674. For Yorkshire Water, the equivalent rise is by £34, to £636.
Water firms have been granted permission by the regulator to increase bills. This is to pay for upgrades to infrastructure.