The 'Beast from the East' and Storm Emma produced the perfect storm in Britain as Arctic weather gripped the UK for more than a week amid concerns gas supplies would run out with water shortages affecting production at Cadbury's and Jaguar Land Rover in the Midlands.
In a statement to Sputnik, a Mondelez International spokesperson said: "Overnight Severn Trent Water has confirmed that it is in the process of restoring the water supply across our Bournville site. We therefore aim to have all production back up and running over the next 24 hours."
"Our supply of chocolate has not been impacted as some production continued overnight and we have sufficient product in stock. The rest of our supply chain, including logistics, has operated business as usual. Employees will return to work on the site from today."
Meanwhile car makers Jaguar Land Rover halted production at its Solihull and Castle Bromwich sites, water supplies at both businesses have since been restored.
Water supplies have now returned to normal at Jaguar Land Rover and Cadbury's in Birmingham. We'd like to thank the few businesses we've been working with over the past couple of days for all their help.
— Severn Trent (@stwater) March 5, 2018
Water companies Severn Trent and South Staffs Water experienced problems with its supply as pipes froze and burst. Responding to the supply crisis which hit homes and businesses in the region, Ofwat chief executive Rachel Fletcher said the firms had "fallen well short" on forward planning.
#UWHeadlines — Ofwat accuses water firms of being ill-prepared for adverse weather https://t.co/OLnyilVGAC pic.twitter.com/vY9vT5xgm7
— Utility Week (@UtilityWeek) March 6, 2018
"A number of water companies appear to have fallen well short on their forward planning and the quality of support and communication they've been providing, leaving customers high and dry," Rachel Fletcher said in a statement.
Another morning of water supply problems across the West Midlands.
— Free Radio News (@freeradionews) March 6, 2018
Updates from @SthStaffsWater
and @stwater below — things are back to normal at the Jaguar Land Rover and Cadbury factories in #Birmingham and #Solihull. pic.twitter.com/z9yVUFqgXn
Up to ten thousand homes and businesses were left without water across London and the south east as the snow thawed bursting pipes and cutting off water supplies. South East Water and Southern Water have urged customers to take showers rather than baths and only use a washing machine and dishwasher when necessary. If customers in this area did have water, pressure was low.
In a joint statement from Thames Water, South East Water, Southern Water and Affinity Water, the suppliers said: "We've seen an increase in leaks and bursts on our network, which we are urgently dealing with as fast as we possibly can."
We still need your help! If you have water, please use it sparingly. We're currently dealing with an unprecedented number of bursts and leaks across our network, so every drop counts. You can also help by checking for and reporting leaks via https://t.co/oLbvwyEyd4. Thank you! pic.twitter.com/snsNw69KXl
— South East Water (@sewateruk) March 6, 2018
We’re continuing to deliver bottled water to customers listed on our Priority Services Register who have medical or mobility issues. If you know someone who urgently needs help, call us on 0333 000 0002. See our bottled water stations locations here: https://t.co/YViTkigzfb pic.twitter.com/Li51KU7ex8
— South East Water (@sewateruk) March 6, 2018
#SE23 #SE26 #SE27 area has also been impacted due to pumps tripping at Brixton Pumping Stations which has caused an air lock at Crystal Palace reservoir. Our team is working to get the area back to normal as soon as possible.
— Thames Water (@thameswater) March 5, 2018
Typically, many people turned to Twitter to vent their frustrations that the water companies had not kept them informed.
@thameswater ridiculous we still haven’t got full water back. Been nearly 48 hours now. Just a trickling cold tap. Not good enough. #se26 #sydenham
— Koorosh Noroozi (@KooroshNoroozi) March 6, 2018
All the water has been switched off in my area since last night. Just genuinely went and shovelled snow to flush my toilet with. #SE23 #wateroutage cc @SE23life
— Pesto Towers (@Pesto_Towers) March 1, 2018
No #water in #SE23, @thameswater any idea when this will be fixed? Sent you a DM earlier. Website gives no info or update since 9:50am
— Tom Hancock (@tom_h87) March 1, 2018
Can you force Water companies to spend some of their profits on water reclamation systems for a UK houses.
— Jet Joo Boy (@DJSicFanny) March 6, 2018
Water has been off for 24 hours and I cannot justify or risk flushing toilet with drinking water..
Ridiculous
@Ofwat @stwater Ashbourne has been without water for 24hrs, no bottled water for those in need. No eta of how long a supply takes to refill. Are we going to have this everytime the temp drops a few deg below zero because you fail to invest properly in infrastucture? #ashbourne
— Philip Charles Craig (@PhilipCStudio) March 6, 2018
The cold front from Siberia dubbed the Beast from the East, coupled with blizzards brought by Storm Emma from the Atlantic, is forecast to cost the UK economy US$1.39 billion a day.
Pest from the West
Britain has received a battering from the elements recently and wintry conditions are set to continue with more snow forecast in parts of the UK ahead of another Atlantic storm expected soon.
In a statement the Met Office said there will be: "a very unsettled period, with heavy rain probably moving northwards across much of the UK during the weekend, followed by blustery showers across central and southern parts."
Britain may have said goodbye to the 'Beast from the East' but its expected to meet the 'Pest from the West' in the coming days with an inch of rainfall expected onto already thawing snow, coupled with gale force winds.
#PestFromTheWest Just What We Needed On The Forecast. pic.twitter.com/J4BddtaAdV
— Farah ^-^ (@farah_14001) March 6, 2018
