Hosepipe ban 'ridiculous' while pipes are leaking

Residents have criticised Thames Water for leaving a water leak unrepaired during a hosepipe ban.

The burst pipe in Chester Street, Reading, has been seeping water for several weeks, according to people living there.

Jan Kollar said it was "ridiculous" the company was preventing him from watering his flowers while leaks were not being fixed promptly.

A spokesperson for Thames Water said: "We're aware of this leak and will fix it as soon as possible."

Kollar said the company inspected the leak "about 10 days ago" but had not returned. He claimed the company "didn't care".

"I received a message to stop watering my flowers, it's ridiculous - the water has been leaking for two months," he said.

Another resident, who did not want to be named, said something was "always going wrong" in the street when it came to water issues.

"We shouldn't be wasting water whether there is a hosepipe ban or not," they said.

"I have zero confidence in Thames Water - they are not putting anything into the infrastructure."

Thames Water has been criticised for its performance in recent years following a series of sewage discharges and leaks.

Last year it was fined a record £122.7m by regulator Ofwat, most of which was for breaching sewage spills rules.

CEO Chris Weston recently told the BBC some of the targets set to fix leaks were "not realistic".

The company said it had reduced leakages by more than 15% since 2019/20 and is currently fixing more than 1,000 leaks a week.

A spokesperson added: "Sometimes our repair teams need to dig down to the pipe by hand to be safe. For example, if it's surrounded by other utility pipes, like gas mains.

"When the repair work is finished, we'll resurface the road. This may take a few days to set safely. We're sorry for any inconvenience this causes."