#3 - a well designed pipeline has air valves at the high points (double acting ones). Lets air out when recharging a main and lets air in if the main is being scoured. Also, low points on the main would have scours so you can empty the main to fix bursts.

#1 I believe it would react to form a precipitate hence the orange salt.

Hopefully you get the water situation sorted out as that sounds dreadful. You might have to buy in some more water butts as a temporary measure but the whole situation sounds ludicrous.

Michael - thank you, but suppose our branch isn't a well-designed system (it's not, it's a rural cobble-together, done by local farm workers 60+ years ago before there was mains water)?

delcatto - we've got probably 20 water butts now (including some huge 330l ones, and more are going in below each downpipe with each new bit of our building work), for watering plants etc, but the problem is they empty faster than the rain can refill them. I'm going to have a chunter at the water company later, even though we are not their direct customer, we are customers of the estate they now supply, so I do think that we should be getting emergency water brought to us

Are you in an area where there is a lot of rainfall?

I ask that because despite the north being perceived as always wet there are dry parts. Would you consider a small reservoir / pool for the garden or home use, not drinking water?

delcatto - good question. There used to be lots of rainfall - before we moved in, according to the locals.

Standing uncovered water is not a good idea due to 'the midgies'. Because of the windiness on our ridge, we do not get them up here currently, and it wouldn't be a good idea to do anything to encourage them. We are going to have a proper look into boreholes though, once we have sold Coven Sud so are solvent again. If only as a backup, because one day the whole ancient creaking system is going to pop, permanently. Mr BW asked the water company man in charge of the repairs (who he got to know quite well, due to his many visits to check on progress in the remote, high, location of he problem) if it was possible that that company would ever take on the non-water-company part of the system and the short answer is 'no'.

Can you use fish to eat the midges? My daughter is currently walking across America and has a filter thing so she can drink from any water supply and doesn't have to carry any.

Flying fish Debster? ;) There are also far too many herons, so we've sadly already had to decide to give up having a fish pond up here. With the winds up the ridge, I think the evaporation would be huge and lead to dry ponds and dead fish too.

We are fortunate in that our two nearest neighbours both have their own boreholes, and don't mind sharing in times of crisis. Mind you, without fuel for generators to power their pumps, those are chocolate teapots too... So yes, maybe we will look at some of those survival water thingys! And walking across America? Wow!

I've got minnows. They just appeared and if I could I'd post some to you.