Shared Pipes and low water flow

huw01

Just picked up this thread. I used to work for a water company for years and common supply pipes were problem areas. I can tell you that the advice given by GothicFairy in this thread is spot on.

The people that receive their water supply from the pipe are responsible for the maintenance of it, even when it goes through neighbouring properties or in some instances private ground before it gets to any property. It's dealing with the realms of easements and diplomacy that's required in these instances. This is often made worse if the occupiers of some properties are not the owners. The water company under the water industries act 1991 only have to supply water at their stop top which is usually located at the boundary near to the water main.

People have to remember that on on supply pipes were put in to properties years ago when consumers only had a tap in the kitchen and an outside toilet. Snce then a lot more loading of water usage has taken place,washing machines, dishwashers, power showers etc. The pipes installed years ago were not designed for our modern use today.

In my experience it will cost the householder money to sort it out

Sugardonut

HanSpan wrote: »

Can you guys tell me if emails count as official complaints?

Thanks

Yes, emails are still classed the same as a letter.

keystone

Yes but they are also very easy to ignore or get lost (ahem!) "due to an unfortunate system error".

Cheers

HanSpan

keystone wrote: »

Yes but they are also very easy to ignore or get lost (ahem!) "due to an unfortunate system error".

Cheers

Ah but *I* won't lose them. And I'm actually doing rather better with email in terms of getting responses than I ever did with letters back in 2004 when I last went to bat with them.
Had they told me then what they seem to be saying now this could all have been rather different - backt then they said THEY were going to do somethign about replacing the supply pipe then stuffed around and just did a bit. Now they re saying we should do it, and we would get money back if we did. But in the mean time loads of the cottages have been hoodwinked into individual bits of replacements at large cost and the current leak they are apparently fixing under the compulsory legislation. My latest email asks how much they think they are going to charge me when they've never done waht they were supposed to, and asked for a copy of the legislation.
So we shall wait and see what comes back.
Its clear to me that they have mismanaged the whole thing and the cottages should have been told clearly back then what to do - I'm pretty sure we would have all got together and got the whole lot replaced and probably paid nothing as we'd be due the rebate each. Now of course many won't want to do that when they've already paid and replaced bits and so on. So I think it should be down to Thames Water as they've stuffed the situation not us!