Leaking pipe still gushing five months after family reported to authorities
- 6 months ago
A family that reported a leak running a quarter of a mile down their road nearly five months ago are still waiting for it to be repaired.
The fed-up Townsend family from the village of Shottenden in Kent, say they even had a hosepipe ban over the summer whilst water ran down their road.
They had been planning to sell their home next year but now fear footing the bill for the damage the leak has caused.
They also worry that, with winter fast approaching, the unfixed leak could become an 'ice rink' and see someone suffer a serious accident.
And though South East Water have been to look at the leak, they are still yet to have stemmed the flow.
David and Jacqui Townsend complain the leak - which they first reported at the end of May has caused them misery and frustration.
Despite their constant complaints to South East Water, their driveway has been severely damaged as the gravel is flushed away by the torrent of flowing water.
Mrs Townsend, 52, says the situation has become a 'joke', saying: “We were put on a hosepipe ban when we had a river running outside.
“They said we couldn't water our garden but it’s alright because we could have just diverted the stream onto it."
Mr Townsend estimates that the water runs for a quarter of a mile down their street in rural Kent before ending in a large pool at a nearby farm.
“If we had the hose on they would have threatened to fine us," the 60-year-old said.
“They really need to sort it before it gets colder because you will get more potholes and damage – there will be an accident.
“It could certainly cause injury in the winter. Then it’s not just unsightly it’s dangerous – there’s no doubt about that."
His wife agreed, saying the road would become 'lethal' once temperatures fall below zero.
Mrs Townsend also worries for her three sons - two of whom have recently started driving with the third currently learning.
“We will literally have an ice rink out there,” she said.
“It will be lethal because it's a straight stretch of road which is just covered in standing water.
"You can see where it straightens out here, so people just put their foot down.
“I worry about my children but people who don’t know about it and speed along will be worse off.
"Cyclists and walkers use it, too."
This is not the first time burst pipes have disrupted residents living on Shottenden Road, either.
Mrs Townsend claims to have reported more than 200 leaks in the 25 years the family has lived there.
The fed-up Townsend family from the village of Shottenden in Kent, say they even had a hosepipe ban over the summer whilst water ran down their road.
They had been planning to sell their home next year but now fear footing the bill for the damage the leak has caused.
They also worry that, with winter fast approaching, the unfixed leak could become an 'ice rink' and see someone suffer a serious accident.
And though South East Water have been to look at the leak, they are still yet to have stemmed the flow.
David and Jacqui Townsend complain the leak - which they first reported at the end of May has caused them misery and frustration.
Despite their constant complaints to South East Water, their driveway has been severely damaged as the gravel is flushed away by the torrent of flowing water.
Mrs Townsend, 52, says the situation has become a 'joke', saying: “We were put on a hosepipe ban when we had a river running outside.
“They said we couldn't water our garden but it’s alright because we could have just diverted the stream onto it."
Mr Townsend estimates that the water runs for a quarter of a mile down their street in rural Kent before ending in a large pool at a nearby farm.
“If we had the hose on they would have threatened to fine us," the 60-year-old said.
“They really need to sort it before it gets colder because you will get more potholes and damage – there will be an accident.
“It could certainly cause injury in the winter. Then it’s not just unsightly it’s dangerous – there’s no doubt about that."
His wife agreed, saying the road would become 'lethal' once temperatures fall below zero.
Mrs Townsend also worries for her three sons - two of whom have recently started driving with the third currently learning.
“We will literally have an ice rink out there,” she said.
“It will be lethal because it's a straight stretch of road which is just covered in standing water.
"You can see where it straightens out here, so people just put their foot down.
“I worry about my children but people who don’t know about it and speed along will be worse off.
"Cyclists and walkers use it, too."
This is not the first time burst pipes have disrupted residents living on Shottenden Road, either.
Mrs Townsend claims to have reported more than 200 leaks in the 25 years the family has lived there.