'It doesn't reflect our teams hard work' - South Staffs Water claps back at Wednesbury MP's criticism

Speaking yesterday, the Labour MP said she had written to South Staffs Water to question why it took 'so long' to get bottled water to residents, which she claimed was 'at 10pm and the water main burst at 9am'. 

She also claimed that vulnerable residents did not feel supported throughout the day, and some suffered 'extensive damage' while they contended with the chaotic scenes that persisted over the weekend.

South Staffs Water has responded by saying it is 'disappointed' with Bance's comments as it did not feel they reflected 'the hard work' of its front-line teams who 'worked tirelessly' over the weekend to return supplies to customers as 'quickly and safely' as possible. 

It also said, however, that 'with any 'incident' there are 'lessons to learn', accepting customers wanted more frequent updates and will 'take that learning forward' while stating it 'welcomes' Bance's questions and looks forward to working with the MP and her team. 

A spokesperson for South Staffs Water, said: "We would first like to apologise to any customers who were not satisfied with our response and we welcome their feedback. 

"We were disappointed to hear Antonia Bance’s comment, and do not feel it reflects the hard work of our front-line teams who worked tirelessly over the weekend to return supplies to customers as quickly and safely as possible. 

"As with any incident, however, there are lessons to learn. We accept that customers wanted more frequent updates and will take that learning forward. 

"Our team liaised with Antonia Bance’s team to provide them with updates, and we used our communication channels to provide more frequent updates for customers. We welcome Mrs. Bance’s questions and look forward to working with her and her team."