§ Mr. Robert C. Brownasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has, for each water authority, on the number of significant sewer collapses in 1982–83, 1983–84 and 1984–85.
§ Mr. John PattenThe information requested is set out below for English regional water authorities. The Welsh water authority is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
572W
Number of significant sewer collapses 1982–3 1983–4 1984–5 Anglian 180 150 *275 North West 690 600 1,000
1982–3 1983–4 1984–5 Northumbrian 185 256 280 Severn-Trent 473 478 n/a South West 76 300 230 Southern 296 210 260 Thames 360 390 491 Wessex 275 275 280 Yorkshire 1,218 1,225 1,350 *Anglian 1984–85: Higher estimate based on more comprehensive reporting.
A " significant sewer collapse" is defined as any incident involving actual or suspected structural damage to a sewer, which involves excavation or tunnelling. There are some differences in methods of measurements, so particular caution is needed in drawing comparisons between authorities.
§ Mr. Dixonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list, for each water authority, the total number of properties connected to the sewerage system, the total population connected to the sewerage system and the total population connected to the water supply system.
§ Mr. John PattenThe information requested is set out below for English regional water authorities. The Welsh water authority is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
Water Authorities: Population and Properties Connected Authority *Properties †Population †Population connected to water sup ply system connected to sewerage system Anglian 1,807 5,192 3,600 North West 2,650 6,878 6,822 Northumbrian 1,006 2,631 1,222 Severn-Trent 3,119 8,173 6,809 South West 531 1,431 1,427 Southern 1,483 3,922 2,047 Thames 4,985 11,489 7,126 Wessex 880 2,378 1,047 Yorkshire 1,755 4,639 4,384 *Source: water authority charges returns
†Source: Water Authorities Association