Chesterfield grandmother calls for action as ‘criminal’ amount of water wasted in leak reported two weeks ago

The leak, which was first reported on Thursday, September 3 at Sunningdale Park Homes site at Poplar Drive in Tupton, has seen streams of water gushing down the road raising concerns about wasted water, potential damage and high costs.

June Turner, 79, a Sunningdale Park Homes resident and a grandmother of six, said: "The amount of water being wasted is criminal.

"My neighbour’s garden is afloat.

"It is ridiculous.”

Mrs Turner and her neighbours received a letter from Severn Trent, which states that almost 8,000 litres of water are wasted per hour – and residents are urged to notify their landlord as soon as possible and may be expected to cover the costs.

The letter reads: “There's a visible leak losing approximately 7,800 litres of water per hour.

"These can waste a lot of water and cost you money.

"As a tenant and consumer of the property, you're legally responsible to make sure the leak is fixed.

"First of all, speak to your landlord, council or housing association, as they should be able to get the leak fixed.

"We give you notice under section 752B of the Act, as we need the leak to be fixed within the next 10 days.”

Mrs Turner said she and several other residents had attempted to contact their landlord and the site caretaker but had not received any confirmation that the leak would be fixed.

Mrs Turner, who has lived at the park homes site for eight years, added: “It's frightening for some of the people because we are being threatened that we may have to pay.

"We tried to report it but nobody is listening.

"We don’t know what to do.”

Mrs Turner said this was not the first leak at Sunningdale Park Homes site – with a similar incident reported around 18 months ago.

She explained: “They had another leak about 18 month ago and it was on my drive.

"We went through the same rigmarole.

“They even sent me a bill for the cost of the water, but I didn’t have to pay it in the end.

"I saw the amount of soil that they took out because of the leak.

"They have put an amount of soil back but now I've got a dip so when it rains, it floods.”

Residents contacted Councillor Ross Shipman, who represents Tupton ward at North East Derbyshire District Council, for help.

He said: “Residents at Sunningdale Park should not have to wait more than a week for something as fundamental as a water leak to be properly addressed.

"I appreciate that repairs can sometimes take time, but what residents need is a site owner who responds promptly, takes ownership of problems and keeps people informed about what is being done.

“My concern is that residents have been left feeling that their concerns are not being taken seriously enough.

"Living on a park-home site should not mean accepting a lower standard of service or having to chase the site owner to get basic issues dealt with.

“I am calling on the site owner to react faster, communicate better with residents and take responsibility for resolving issues when they are brought to their attention.

"Residents deserve better than being left waiting and wondering when something will finally be done.”

Severn Trent confirmed they were aware of the water leak, but the responsibility to fix it was with the owner of the private supply pipe.

The water provider issued a Section 75 notice under the Water Industry Act 1991.

Section 75 notice is a legal document sent by your water supplier regarding a water leak on a private supply pipe, urging a property consumer to fix a water leak.

If the leak is not fixed within the time specified, the water company is allowed to enter premises and carry out repairs.

A Severn Trent spokesperson said: “We’re sorry to hear about the water supply issues for residents in Sunningdale Park.

"Our teams investigated to understand what was happening and found the cause is a leak on the private supply pipe, not related to the Severn Trent network.

"We have spoken with the site owner to ensure they get this fixed and the issue resolved as quickly as possible.”

Severn Trent confirmed that the notice would allow the water provider to repair the pipe should it not be fixed by September 28 and claim costs.

Sunningdale Park Homes site project manager Wayne White said he was aware of the water leak and would be keen to work with Severn Trent to resolve the issue.

He said: “Our site manager has been chasing Severn Trent for a long time.

"I’ve looked at the water leak yesterday morning and it is quite bad.

"Severn Trent is welcome to come on the site and fix the leak.

"All I would need from them is just a courtesy call to say that they are going to the site so I can let the residents know if they have to turn off the water to repair the leak.”