AFTER being stood down after the Easter holidays, the Southern Water tankers are back in Shanklin this week.

Temporary traffic lights have been needed on Church Road while the tankers are again in situ.

When they first appeared, in early April, Southern Water told us they were needed due to an influx of tourists putting pressure on the water network.

We went back to Southern Water with further questions. 

Here's what they said:

Q) Will the tankers be needed for future school holidays or is this a one-off? 

A) These were original deployed to assist with the extra demand while some local storage reservoirs was out for cleaning over the Easter holiday, where we would expect to have a high demand due to holidaymakers. We’re expecting the reservoir to be return to service by May 22.

Q)  Local residents have been concerned about the tankers not being very environmentally friendly and "spewing out fumes"

A) The tankers were only being used on site for a few hours a day. These are brand new vehicles and meet emissions standards.

The temporary traffic lights along the road means cars and other vehicles are having to slow and stop along the road, and residents have complained to the County Press about the fumes.

We also asked if the tankers would be making a return (last week, before they returned this week).

Southern Water said: "These tankers are part of a new fleet acquired by Southern Water which we can use to keep pressure up in the event of localised high demand, during a burst or on other occasions when our network might need additional support."