A family forced to dig trenches to channel leaking water from their home were beset by another problem before the original damage could even be assessed.
Michelle Nichols’ family waited so long for Affinity Water to fix a leaking pipe at their Nascot Wood home that they dug a trench in their garden to divert the flow.
On August 6, just seven days after that problem was finally fixed, the family noticed more water within a few metres and have been told 18 metres of pipe may well need to be completely replaced.
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Michelle, 46, said: “I got a lot of excuses saying it is because of extreme weather but I don’t buy it, with so much extreme heat and a water shortage surely you would need to repair leaks even sooner.
“This is week six now, I’m a teacher and this is my summer holiday.
“I should be able to enjoy it, not day-in day-out working on and documenting this.”
She added that the damage received an assessment yesterday (August 9), by restoration company Dryright Ltd, which found the trenches will need to be filled and the slabs refitted, but the garden will now have to be assessed again once the new issue is fixed.
Yesterday, an Affinity Water spokesperson said: “We are attending to the leak and hopefully it will be fixed later today or tomorrow morning.
“We apologise for any delay in responding, but this is an unprecedented time for the water industry with the sustained hot weather spell.
“Our key workers are working round the clock to keep the taps flowing and to deal with repairs as and when they may arise.”
During the initial leak, Michelle, who lives with her two daughters, said the company failed to turn up to three scheduled appointments over four weeks while a pipe continued to let water into her garden.
She said: “I had to dig up my garden to create a dam, it has now caused so much damage to my property.
“If I hadn’t, it would have already reached and damaged the foundations of the house.”
The first issue was fixed on July 30, having been reported on June 27.
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