ELECTRICIAN Carl Walker has been left fearing for the foundations of his house after a leak in a mains water pipe flooded his garden.
Since May this year, water has been leaking out of a water pipe crossing the nearby travellers’ site to serve an industrial unit behind Glenville Nurseries in Wootton Bassett and flooding Carl’s neighbouring property in Marlborough Road.
Despite numerous calls, letters, and messages sent to utilities company Thames Water, which owns the water pipe, nothing has been done.
Carl, 37, said: “The water has just flooded my property.
“There is two inches of water on the top of my garden, there are pond skaters and other wildlife in the water on my drive and the water is lifting the patio away.
“It’s seeping into the foundations of my house, and I have no idea the extent of the damage it is doing.
“Thames Water have come out a few times but they haven’t done anything about it.”
As well as posing a serious risk to his property, the water has impacted the quality of life for the rest of Carl’s family, especially his three-year-old daughter.
He said: “My daughter can’t play in the garden because it’s flooded. She can’t play outside at all.
“I can’t cut the grass because it’s underwater and there is pond life developing on my drive.
“There are now mosquitos breeding in it as well, and we avoid going outside because we keep getting bitten.”
The water pipe serves a company called Combined Scaffolding which is located some distance behind the property, and over the past few months Carl has made an arrangement with the company in order to lessen the damage to his home.
He said: “When it first started earlier this year I went over and just switched it off, but then they complained that they had no water.
“So now I switch it off at night and then switch it on again in the morning, and it leaks all through the day.”
The leak is on private land used as a mobile site for travellers, and in order for Thames Water to access the site, they need to get permission from the site owner, or a warrant and police escort in order to start digging up privately owned land.
So far, they have had difficulty contacting the land owner. A spokesman from Thames Water said: “The leaking pipe is on private land and so we’re currently arranging permission to get in there to carry out the repair, which we know has taken longer than it should have done to sort out.
“This leak is on a private supply pipe and, although not our direct responsibility, we will get straight in and fix it for free as soon as we are allowed.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel