United Utilities engineers go detective to solve leak in rural Cumbrian school

Two United Utilities employees have been nominated for a WOW! Award after their detective skills saved Cumbrian school following a burst pipe.

Engineers Terry O’Neil and Connor Swailes were doing some routine sounding on the pipes to check for leaks when they could hear a mysterious ticking noise, suggesting that water was in use in large volume. The pair went detective and traced the noise to the local primary school - but quickly learned that they weren’t using any water. The evidence suggested that the ticking noise must be a leak, and it was important to find it before it caused a bigger problem.

First things first, locate the stop tap and isolate the water coming in. But when the plumber arrived to investigate further, the mysterious leak was nowhere to be found – and a week later, the case of the missing leak still hadn’t been resolved. Undeterred, Terry and Connor re-visited with their equipment after the school day had finished, ready to flush out the lurking leak. They were determined to find it, and eventually the team located the rogue leak under the concrete floor in a classroom cupboard. Once able to pinpoint its exact location, a local plumber and builder were able to drill into the floor, find the problem and fix it – once and for all.

Terry and Connor went above and beyond the call of duty, and Headteacher Jen Robinson wanted to recognise their hard work and determination by nominating them for a WOW! Award: “If it wasn’t for Terry and Connor’s detective skills and sheer determination, we would not have been able to locate and fix the problem and the costs would have been astronomical – much more than the £7,000 bill we received that proved there was a significant leak in situ.

“We are a small primary school and any unexpected costs like this have a very big impact on our school budget, so we are very grateful for their help.

“Terry and Connor went above and beyond and should be commended for their commitment to supporting the local community.”

WOW! Awards recognise outstanding customer service and support, and Terry and Connor’s commitment to safeguarding the school stopped a potentially small problem becoming a big one. Their tenacity mitigated the need for the school to potentially close, or classrooms to become flooded. Well done to Terry and Connor!