Yorkshire Water has signed up winter maintenance firm Ice Watch in a deal worth £500,000 to carry out gritting and snow clearing services to over 120 of its top operational sites across the region.
The contract, lasting an initial two years, will create 32 seasonal maintenance jobs throughout Yorkshire.
It will ensure that Yorkshire Water’s estate of key water treatment works, pumping stations and reservoirs are kept free of ice and snow so vital operational work can continue throughout the winter.
Michelle Lovewell, Emergency Planning Technician at Yorkshire Water, said:
“This new contract will create local jobs and ensure that we are prepared in case of extreme winter weather. We have a lot of infrastructure located in isolated parts of the region that are prone to bad weather so this will ensure we can continue to access them and carry out our vital day-to-day operations.”
By ensuring road access to key sites this will mean chemicals can continue to be transported to water treatment works and sludge can be exported by articulated lorries from waste water treatment works.
Andrew Henry, Business Manager at Ice Watch said:
“We are delighted to have been selected by Yorkshire Water as their winter maintenance partner. Yorkshire Water presented their unique requirement, which has many challenges – not least the vast area that is covered and the diverse topography of the region.”
As part of the contract, Ice Watch’s trained meteorologists will monitor the weather and provide forecasts to Yorkshire Water.
Severe winter weather is forecast this winter due to the powerful ‘El Nino’ phenomenon that is building up in the Atlantic ocean. Six years ago the last El Nino brought sub-zero temperatures and heavy snow to Britain and it is expected this year’s El Nino will have a similar effect.
Near-real-time microbial monitoring of wastewater discharge and bathing waters is now possible thanks to the BactoSense ID solution created by Swiss-based bNovate Technologies.
Craig Nienaber, Business Development Manager for Safe Access Solutions (SAS) at HUBER Technology, explores why the company is seeing a growing level of interest in its safe access solutions for critical infrastructure providers, including their application in wastewater treatment assets.

Southern Water has released film and images showing what it’s like to walk inside Hampshire’s expanded Yew Hill underground reservoir for the very last time, before it gets filled with water.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.