Lanes Group Supports Communities Through One of Britain's Hottest Summers
Summer Community Support
Lanes Group is often associated with helping customers manage the challenges created by heavy rain, flooding and stormy weather. However, this summer saw our teams responding to a very different set of circumstances.
As drought conditions, extreme heat and environmental pressures affected communities across the UK, Lanes supported utility companies, emergency services, rural communities and local environmental initiatives with a range of essential services.
From helping water companies distribute emergency drinking water and supporting firefighters tackling wildfires, to delivering water to farms affected by drought and restoring local waterways and green spaces, our teams demonstrated the agility, expertise and commitment needed to respond to a summer of exceptional challenges.
The work highlights the important role infrastructure partners play in supporting communities, protecting the environment and helping the UK adapt to increasingly complex weather and environmental events.
Supporting Wildfire Response Efforts
As prolonged heat and dry conditions increased the risk of wildfires across the UK, Lanes teams found themselves playing an unexpected but important role in supporting emergency response efforts.
Across multiple locations, colleagues worked alongside fire and rescue services, using specialist equipment, vehicles and operational expertise to help tackle fires, protect communities and prevent incidents from escalating.
One of the largest examples took place near Tintwistle and Glossop in Derbyshire, where Lanes teams supported United Utilities and the local fire brigade during a significant wildfire incident. Operating from a dedicated fire command centre, crews worked as part of a coordinated multi-agency response, taking direction from emergency planners who used drone and thermal imaging footage to identify hotspots and prioritise firefighting activity.
Lanes provided a fleet of water tankers to ensure firefighters had a reliable supply of water in challenging terrain, with supervisors coordinating activity directly with United Utilities and the fire service to deliver resources wherever they were needed most. Working alongside local volunteers, residents and emergency responders, the team helped keep operations moving throughout the incident.
Additional Support Required
The scale of Lanes' wildfire support extended even further when United Utilities requested additional assistance for the major wildfire at Woodhead Pass. Within days of mobilising drought support operations, two 28,000-litre Arctic tankers were redeployed to support firefighters on the ground. Over the following six weeks, Lanes supplied an estimated 650,000 litres of water to the response effort, helping maintain a reliable water supply for crews tackling the sustained blaze. The operation highlighted the ability of teams to rapidly adapt and redirect resources while continuing to meet customer and community needs elsewhere across the region.
Elsewhere, colleagues demonstrated the same commitment when they encountered fires during their day-to-day work.
Quick Thinking and Willingness to Act
On a Southern Water contract, a crew stopped ongoing work after spotting a grass fire and immediately used their van-pack equipment to help bring the blaze under control before emergency services arrived. Their quick thinking and willingness to act attracted praise from local residents, with one member of the public commenting on social media that the team had reached the scene before the fire brigade and had worked to stop the fire spreading.
A similar situation unfolded for a Sapphire Highways South crew travelling to a Wiltshire site when they spotted a heath fire burning alongside the A31. Rather than continue their journey, the team stopped, mobilised their water jetting equipment and tackled the fire before it could spread further through the dry vegetation. By the time the Fire Brigade arrived, the crew had successfully dampened down the area and helped bring the incident under control. Firefighters thanked the team for their swift action before heading on to the next hotspot, while the crew packed up and continued to their planned work.
In Cambridgeshire, a Sapphire crew heading to an evening shift near Hampton Nature Reserve was approached by an Incident Commander responding to a significant fire. After quickly returning to collect a nearby recycler vehicle, the team helped move firefighting equipment into the reserve before using the vehicle to wet down the ground and tackle hotspots that threatened nearby homes and businesses. Once the site had been made safe, the crew resumed their planned shift, having played a key role in preventing the fire from spreading further.
Together, these incidents demonstrate how specialist skills, equipment and close collaboration with customers and emergency services can support wider response efforts beyond our core operations. Whether supporting a major multi-agency wildfire response or assisting with unexpected incidents encountered while on the job, our teams consistently demonstrated what it means to be Leading in moments of need, remaining Agile as situations evolved, Engaging with emergency services and local communities, Nurturing the places and people they were helping to protect, and ensuring every response was delivered in a Safe & Secure way.
Delivering Water to Farms and Livestock
As drought conditions intensified across parts of the UK this summer, access to water became an increasing challenge for farming communities. In response, Lanes worked alongside United Utilities to deliver emergency non-potable water supplies to farms across the North West, helping farmers protect livestock and maintain animal welfare during an exceptionally dry period.
The operation began in July and quickly grew into a major logistical exercise, spanning locations from Cumbria to Cheshire. To ensure support could be provided quickly across such a large geographic area, tankers and crews were strategically positioned throughout the region, enabling rapid deployment wherever assistance was needed.
Recognising that many rural locations could not accommodate large tankers, teams introduced a flexible delivery model using 4x4 vehicles towing 1,000-litre bowsers, alongside collapsible Arlington water storage units that could be installed directly on farms. This allowed water supplies to reach even the most challenging locations.
At one farm in Seascale, for example, crews delivered 6,000 litres of water to support 40 calves and 40 cows, helping ensure the animals continued to receive the water they needed during prolonged dry conditions.
Throughout the event, Lanes maintained a 24-hour operational response, with requests for support often arriving overnight. The operation required continuous coordination, with resources regularly repositioned to meet changing demands across the region.
The scale of the operation required significant coordination, adaptability and resilience from teams working across the region. Delivering essential supplies across hundreds of miles, often at short notice and in challenging conditions, required careful planning, innovative thinking and a shared commitment to supporting customers and communities during a period of exceptional demand.
Supporting Water Companies During Drought Conditions
As prolonged hot weather and increased demand placed additional pressure on water services across parts of the UK, Lanes teams worked alongside water company partners to help support communities during supply interruptions and operational challenges.
One example saw colleagues rapidly mobilise to assist Thames Water with a large-scale bottled water distribution operation, helping ensure customers could access essential drinking water while supply issues were being resolved.
Working in temperatures exceeding 30°C, teams supported the safe and efficient operation of distribution sites, helping manage customer demand, maintain steady supplies and provide reassurance to members of the public during a particularly challenging period.
What made the response particularly notable was the commitment shown by colleagues across the business. Many volunteered at short notice, giving up annual leave, rest days and personal time to help support the operation. Their willingness to step forward ensured additional resources could be deployed quickly when they were needed most.
The response demonstrated the value of strong partnerships and the ability of specialist infrastructure teams to mobilise rapidly during periods of increased demand. By providing skilled people and resources at short notice, Lanes helped strengthen the wider response effort and ensure customers continued to receive access to essential drinking water.
The contribution was recognised by Thames Water, which praised the professionalism, dedication and customer-focused approach demonstrated throughout the operation.
"I have never seen such a professional, polite and hard-working group of individuals before. Especially in the heat, the Lanes team were absolute heroes, and we would not have managed without their support."
Protecting Local Waterways and Restoring Green Spaces
This summer wasn't just about responding to immediate challenges. It was also about helping protect the environments and waterways that communities rely on.
Working alongside United Utilities, the Lanes Group and Sapphire Utility Services team supported a conservation initiative at Cuerden Valley Park, a 650-acre landscape of woodland, meadows, waterways and farmland. Together, volunteers removed invasive Himalayan balsam from riverbanks and waterways, helping to protect biodiversity and improve access to important natural habitats.
The work focused on river stretches used by local schools and community groups for environmental education, ensuring future generations can continue learning about water ecosystems in a safe and healthy environment.
The initiative marks the beginning of a longer-term partnership, with additional support being provided to help fund equipment that encourage young people to learn about the natural environment and enable them to carry out ecological testing and gain a deeper understanding of local water environments.
While much of Lanes' work this summer focused on responding to immediate challenges, this initiative focused on supporting the long-term health of local waterways, habitats and communities. By protecting waterways, enhancing biodiversity and supporting environmental education, the project will deliver lasting benefits for local communities and future generations.
"We're accustomed to helping our customers respond to the challenges that come with wet weather and flooding. This summer presented a very different set of demands. Across the country, our teams adapted quickly to support water companies, emergency services, farmers and local communities facing the impacts of drought, extreme heat and environmental pressures. Time and again, our people stepped beyond their day-to-day responsibilities to help others, demonstrating the values that define Lanes Group and showing the difference that can be made when we lead with purpose, adapt with agility and put communities first."