Residents criticise Thames Water over hosepipe ban and leak

Summarised from BBC Berkshire's report · Updated 13 Oct, 19:08 · Archive

Residents have criticised Thames Water for imposing a hosepipe ban while leaving a burst pipe unrepaired in Reading.

Residents in Reading have criticised Thames Water for leaving a water leak unrepaired during a hosepipe ban. The burst pipe in Chester Street has been seeping water for several weeks. Jan Kollar said the company inspected the leak about ten days ago but had not returned, and criticised the timing of restrictions. 'I received a message to stop watering my flowers, it's ridiculous - the water has been leaking for two months,' he said. Another resident expressed concerns about the company's commitment to infrastructure.

Thames Water said it was aware of the leak and would fix it as soon as possible. The company said it had reduced leakages by more than 15 per cent since 2019–20 and is currently fixing more than 1,000 leaks a week. Thames Water has faced criticism in recent years for sewage discharges and leaks, and was fined a record £122.7m by regulator Ofwat last year.

Read the report

• Hosepipe ban 'ridiculous' while pipes are leakingResidents criticise Thames Water for imposing a hosepipe ban while a water leak remains unrepaired.BBC Berkshire · 13 Oct, 11:24

In this story: Thames Water · Reading · Jan Kollar · Ofwat

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