David Behrens

A burst-main incident left large parts of the East Riding without water, while Yorkshire Water was accused of providing inadequate updates, operating ineffective customer-service channels and failing to publicize other serious problems, including bacteria-contaminated supplies in Buckden. The column links these communication failures to aging infrastructure, executive bonuses and wider pollution of England’s waterways, arguing that Yorkshire Water has become complacent and unaccountable. Regional mayors have called for action, but the writer says MPs may be better placed to hold the company to account.

Hannah Hauxwell spent most of her life farming alone at the remote Low Birk Hatt farm in the north Pennines, enduring isolation, harsh winters and extreme financial hardship without seeking pity. A 1973 Yorkshire Television documentary, Too Long a Winter, transformed her into a national celebrity, leading to travel, public appearances and books, although she remained more comfortable with the solitude and identity of the Dales. She later moved reluctantly to a cottage and then care facilities, dying in 2018. Her former pasture is now Hannah’s Meadow nature reserve, while her wider legacy is the lasting impression of her resilience, dignity and independence.