With most of Northern England brought to a standstill through flooding over Christmas and New Year, Bibby Distribution’s milk collection fleet has reported near-perfect operational performance despite appalling conditions.

During the week of major flooding, Bibby Distribution made more than 1,300 collections in flood affected areas, with just six collections having to be cancelled because of access conditions.Therefore, despite the second heaviest rainfall in the region since records began, 99.5 per cent of all collections took place as normal.

Vaughan Pendergest, Business Unit Director, says: “The resilience and commitment of our drivers during this very challenging time has been unbelievable. Despite much of the region’s roads resembling rivers, they have battled against the odds and maintained a level of service almost on a par with the high standards we achieve under normal circumstances. Our ethos is we always get the job done, whatever the weather. During this difficult time, our drivers have absolutely exemplified our values and have yet again proved to dairy farmers across the region they can rely on us.”

Milk collection success is particularly critical due to the perishable nature of the product – collections are scheduled 365 days a year, whatever the weather. Bibby Distribution collects and transports millions of litres a week from farms in Wales, Northern England and Scotland, which are visited every day.