THE public are invited to attend a meeting in which United Utilities chiefs will be grilled about the recent Bolton water crisis.

Bolton Council’s Environmental Services Scrutiny Committee has approved an agenda item inviting a representative from the firm to attend the next committee meeting to explain more about the problem that left eighteen thousand homes in Bolton without running water.

The committee were responding to a call from Astley Bridge Councillor John Walsh around the time of the cut-off, who stated that the service had “fallen well below the expected standards” and said he felt the people of Bolton deserved “a proper explanation.”

It is hoped that United Utilities officers will make a presentation at the meeting, outlining exactly what went wrong at the Sweetloves Water Treatment Works and explaining ways in which such a problem can be prevented in the future.

Committee chairman, Cllr Noel Spencer said: “At our recent agenda setting meeting, we thoroughly supported having this agenda item and look forward to welcoming officials from UU.

“Thousands of residents in the Bolton Borough were affected by the recent water supply problems, many of which had no water and many were advised to boil their water. It is important that elected representatives have the opportunity to question UU officers and for them to let us know how the situation which occurred can be avoided in the future.”

Vice-chairman, Cllr Richard Silvester said he will be asking some “searching questions”, adding: “I am interested in how elderly and vulnerable people who went without water during the cut off were identified by United Utilities and why there was such a delay in getting the water supply back on.”

Paul Forshaw, area manager for United Utilities said the firm would be “more than happy” to attend the meeting, which will take place on Tuesday August 18 at 6pm in the Community Room at the Queens Park Pavillion, off Gilnow Road.

He said: “We know how frustrating this issue has been for our customers, and would like to thank them for their incredible patience and understanding.

“Network issues of this size and duration are thankfully very rare, but when then do happen, we recognise how disruptive they can be.”