Three county reservoirs are open to public
With restrictions eased, our sites provide a way to get outside and to enjoy some exercise
SEVERN Trent has reopened some of its smaller visitor sites, including three in Leicestershire.
The company is allowing visitors back in to its reservoirs at Thornton, Stanford and Nanpantan after all of its sites were closed to keep people safe during the height of the coronavirus crisis.
The company said the reservoirs make for great family days out when the weather is fine, with activities at some including walking, wildlife watching, sailing, cycling and picnicking.
It is, however, introducing a number of measures to keep visitors as safe as possible, including closing some footpaths, introducing one-way systems and keeping all playgrounds shut.
Hand sanitiser will be provided in some car parks and toilets, although the number of toilets available will be reduced.
Other sites that reopened last week, alongside the three in Leicestershire, are at Trimpley in Worcestershire; Shustoke near Birmingham; Ogston and Linacre in Derbyshire and Priorslee in Telford.
The company’s larger sites will remain closed for the time being while further plans are worked up to reflect the larger number of visitors expected.
Dominic Robinson, of Severn Trent, said: “With the restrictions to outdoor activity and travel eased, we know our visitor sites will provide a way for people to get outside and to enjoy some exercise.
“While we’re reopening our smaller sites, our top priority remains the safety of our visitors, staff and tenants.
“So, if, after the smaller sites have reopened, we’re confident our plans are working well, and social distancing is being maintained, we’ll look to open our larger sites over the coming weeks.”
The reservoir sites remaining closed are at Staunton Harold, which straddles the Leicestershire and Derbyshire border; Draycote Water in Warwickshire and four others in Derbyshire – Fairholmes at Upper Derwent Valley, Tittesworth, Foremark and Carsington.
Severn Trent is also warning it will be carefully monitoring visitor numbers and may need to close sites if too many people turn up at once.
The company therefore advises people to check the website and relevant social media feeds for the sites before travelling to see what facilities are open and what measures are in place.
All the latest information on visitor sites can be found at the website below.
Severn Trent is the UK’s second biggest water company, serving more than four million homes and business customers in and around the Midlands.
Its region stretches from the Welsh borders to Rutland and from the outskirts of Sheffield south to the Bristol Channel and east to the Humber. The company delivers almost two billion litres of water every day through 46,000km of pipes.
A further 94,000km of sewer pipes take wastewater away to almost 1,000 sewage treatment works.