Nine-week Thames Water leak is still not fixed - despite it losing '900 litres per hour'

Daily Mail​

26-05-2025

A water leak at a man's garden has not been fixed for nine weeks, despite pumping out '900 litres an hour', the resident has claimed.
Lawrence Walker, 69, said the leak in his garden comes from the neighbouring property and has wasted thousands of litres of water since it started.
Mr Walker claims that Thames Water sent out an employee to check the leak and they found that it was gushing out '900 litres of water per hour'.
This means that since the leak began, it can be estimated around 13,600 litres of water have already been wasted.
Mr Walker, of Purton, Wiltshire, said: 'The issue is we own our property, which is where the water is coming down to, but the issue originates in our neighbour's property, which is owned by Green Square.
'Because of this, Thames Water are unable to do anything as they need permission from the neighbours and Green Square.
'It has been nine weeks since this started, and I just want it to get sorted. I will even pay for it!'
He went on: 'The neighbours are completely fine with work being done, but Green Square and Thames Water just aren't doing anything.
'The worker who came out said that they cannot just turn the water off as it is on a three-house supply, and it is illegal to just cut off water to someone's property.
'Thames Water said they will contact Green Square, but we have not heard anything since.'
Water from the patio doors trickles all the way down to the far end of the garden.
To manage the flow, bricks have been removed to direct the water onto the lawn, which is now turning muddy and difficult to walk across.
Mr Walker mentioned that although he's eager to have the leak repaired, he's currently making use of the excess water to keep his plant pots well watered.
Since retiring, Lawrence and his wife have carefully cultivated their garden into a relaxing summer haven, featuring a wooden pergola, vibrant flowerbeds, two bird-filled aviaries, and a bespoke bar area.
A spokesperson from GreenSquareAccord said: 'We are aware of a water leak affecting one of our customers and their neighbour at Reids Place, Purton.
'On Friday 25 April, we arranged for a contractor to visit our customer's home and investigate the source of the leak, which it was determined had originated outside of our customer's home.
'We are working with our customer to arrange a convenient appointment to investigate this further and we're committed to working with Thames Water to resolve this.'
Thames Water has just finished dealing with another major leak in the Swindon area, which lasted for four days, causing many homes and businesses to be without water.
Thames Water was approached by MailOnline for comment.