Community provides water for zoo hit by burst main

Beth Hall thanked the public for helping to drop off water supplies

An animal park has described the challenges it is facing after being left without water for three days following a major burst main which has affected thousands across Flintshire.

Family-run Greenacres Animal Park in Mancot is ferrying water to more than 300 animals including birds, camels, wolves and highland cows while they wait for supplies to return.

"The community has really pulled through and people have been turning up with bottles and giving us what they can," said Beth Hall from the park.

Welsh Water said it expected supplies to be restored to everyone by Sunday after repairs to a burst water main in Broughton were completed on Friday afternoon.

"Some of the animals will drink many, many litres of water, and we're going around the site with around 60 plastic bottles to refill everything."

Two Cymru Premier matches have also been postponed due to the water disruption.

It has also affected residents and businesses in Flint, Holywell, Ffynnongroyw, Greenfield, Llanerch y Mor, Mostyn, Oakenholt, Talacre, Whitford, Aston, Queensferry, Hawarden, Ewloe, Northop and Deeside.

Beth said the animal park was using a small utility vehicle to move water around the site, which has been forced to close temporarily.

"We're going around the site with around 60 plastic bottles to refill everything," says Beth

"We have so many bottles now and we're going to have to do something with all this plastic," she said.

"We were on hold [on the phone] with Welsh Water for over an hour but we just can't get through.

"I appreciate they are probably manic with calls but it's frustrating not knowing what's going on.

"We did get an automated call this morning which said we should get the water back tonight but it's a worry that things will slip backwards."

The water company has apologised for the inconvenience caused by the burst main, which required a complex repair.

It said it was trying to restore supplies as quickly as possible over 310 miles (500km) of pipes, while bottled water stations remained open in Flint, Shotton and Mold.

Temperatures have been forecast to reach 25C (77F) on Saturday while forecasters warned parts of Wales could see a fourth heatwave so far this year.