Blind Chesterfield man left with 'dangerous' water leak outside home

A water company has apologised after a blind pensioner was among the residents left with a ‘dangerous’ leak outside their Chesterfield homes.

Published 9th Apr 2021, 13:38 BST

Updated 9th Apr 2021, 14:38 BST

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Severn Trent said it was sending teams to High Street in New Whittington tomorrow to fix the leak, which has been caused by a burst water pipe.

Carl Sheldon has been gritting the area around the leak during the recent freezing nighttime temperatures, as it falls on a path outside his uncle Thomas Gledhill’s home.

Thomas is 69-years-old and blind.

Carl Sheldon has been repairing and gritting a leak himself as his uncle Austin Gledhill, 69, is blind.

Carl Sheldon has been repairing and gritting a leak himself as his uncle Austin Gledhill, 69, is blind.

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"The leak has been there for about four weeks and all the council has done is put up some cones,” Carl said.

"No one has actually fixed it, despite contacting Severn Trent and Chesterfield Borough Council.

"It is dangerous for my uncle and for other elderly people and young children in the area. They are having to cross the road to avoid it since it has frozen over in the colder weather we’ve had.

"Plenty of people in the neighbourhood have reported it but we are still waiting for something to be done.

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"It is a serious health and safety risk and should have been fixed straight away. My uncle could easily have fallen on the path the way it has been left.”

Mr Sheldon added: "It has been left to me as a member of the public to grit it and clean it so nobody falls over on it. That can’t be right.

"We pay our bills and council tax so things like this are sorted when they happen and not left as they are for weeks.

A spokesperson for Severn Trent said on Friday, April 9 that the leak would be fixed as a matter of urgency after being contacted by the Derbyshire Times.

“We’d like to apologise to any customers who’ve been affected by a burst pipe on High Street in New Whittington,” he said.

"We’re sending teams out to fix it and stop any further water escaping tomorrow.”

The Severn Trent spokesperson added: "Our aim is to get everything returned back to normal before the end of the weekend. Again, we’re sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.”

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