Water Direct has announced it has secured a three-year contract with South West Water to provide alternative water provisions to customers during supply interruptions.

This provision helps to support South West Water’s customers with a supply of bottled water during an outage, whilst the usual supply is restored, and forms a key part of meeting SEMD (Security and Emergency Measures Direction) requirements.

South West Water provides water and wastewater services to c. 2.2 million people in total across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire, including the provisions it’s been delivering within the Bournemouth Water area since 2016.

The contract gives South West Water access to Water Direct’s Nationwide Bottled Water Bank which secures emergency provisions of bottled water, delivered anywhere in the UK within a matter of hours. As well as the initial delivery on the first day, the contract guarantees their contracted volume every day following until no longer required.

Water Direct has added further depots in Newton Abbot and Truro to its existing 20 bottled water storage locations to ensure quick turnaround and delivery across South West Water’s region. This shorter lead time, local storage and daily assured volume of bottled water, provides a unique solution that helps South West Water better support its customers.

South West Water’s Director of Networks and Customer Service Mark Hillson commented:

“This contract is a welcome addition to our emergency planning efforts, bringing a robust, local and faster solution for our alternative water supply needs. Our customers’ experience is a high priority, even more so as we head into the AMP7 period with C-MeX scores a key focus.”