A Welwyn Garden City woman has said she is at the ‘end of her tether’, after being plagued with a water leak at her council home for the past eight months.
Jade Thomas, who lives in Shortlands Green, has said neither Affinty Water or Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council would take responsibilty for the leak.
The resident has had low water pressure and supply problems as a result.
Jade said: “The council has barely said anything at all. All I’ve got is a letter from Affinity Water saying ‘we have passed this on to the council’. It’s a whole to and fro between the council and the water company and nobody is taking responsibility for it.
“I’ve got a voicemail on my phone telling me Affinity Water will come over to sort the issue out, but they still haven’t even found the problem.
“Everyone on my street has said that they will not pay their water bills because Affinity Water is charging us more, but there has already been a leak and an issue since April – so why should we pay for something we aren’t even getting. At this point, it is just a joke.”
Jade continued: “They have ripped up my decking twice in my garden now and the problem still isn’t sorted.
“They keep telling me there is a leak and a problem with my whole street. I now have orange barriers down the side of my house so I can’t access the side of my house, and they have also cable tied my garden gate shut so no one can access it. I even had a flood in my garden once.
“Affinity Water hires out different contractors to come and they all say they will be back in a few days, and I take time off work for it and none of them turn up.”
The mother of one added that it takes her an hour and a half to run a decent bath for her five-year-old daughter due to the poor water pressure.
“The water company has told me it’s a council problem, but the council will not sort it out. The only thing that is a little better is the water pressure.”
Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council has since launched its own investigation and subsequent repairs for affected residents.
A spokesperson from the Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council said: “We are concerned and aware of the water leak and loss of pressure to the water supply in Shortlands Green for a number of residents and are currently conducting our own investigation and repairs.
“We are providing a temporary water supply to the affected properties which had been installed by November 4, this will correct the water pressure.
“We are now in a position to review the water supply to these premises and come up with a suitable solution to each individual property.
“The safety of our residents is our priority and we have instructed contractors to secure any hazards and to remove excess equipment.”
Affinity Water have yet to comment on the ongoing issues.
