Residents win apology from Thames Water over stingy compensation

Cllrs Jonathan Bartley and Scott Ainslie: emergency supplies

Thames Water have apologised to Streatham residents for short-changing them on compensation when they went without water for up to three days in March.

People affected by the loss of water supply  on 3rd March were entitled for compensation of £30 if they were affected for between 4 and 12 hours, rising to £150 for up to 72 hours.

Water leak on Tooting Bec Gardens

There is a water leak coming from under the kerb outside 35 Tooting Bec Gardens. The water is running right down the road as far as the junction with Garrad's Road and Ambleside Avenue.

We have reported it to Thames Water, and asked for it to be fixed as soon as possible.

Leak on Fernwood Avenue

There has been a significant water leak from the pavement on Fernwood Avenue for at least six weeks, which Thames Water have failed to repair. We reported it via the #tweetaleak hashtag on twitter on 24th July and again on 2nd August when the leak had become much worse.

We have subsequently been contacted by local residents who have also asked Thames Water to fix it several times. Thames Water say they aim to repair leaks within 15 working days. They have clearly failed in this, but also failed even to update local people and let them know what is going on.

Local residents have been particularly poorly served by Thames Water recently, having been left without water on several occasions over the last year. The water main around the corner from Fernwood Avenue, on Mitcham Lane, has also had to be repaired on several occasions.

We are now pursuing it directly with Thames Water as a priority, and will be raising it with Consumer Council for Water, the body to which Thames Water is accountable. It appears that the job was closed down by Thames Water in error. The job has now been reopened, and they have promised us that an inspection will be made this morning. We have asked for an update following this morning's inspection.

[Update: 16/9/13 We have been told that Thames Water will begin the repair today]

Repair to water main at Mitcham Lane/ Ambleside Avenue and possible temporary loss of water

There has been leak from a water main at the corner of Ambleside Avenue and Mitcham Lane with gallons of water running down the road for over two weeks now.

We contacted Thames Water on the 26th February and asked them to fix it. Since then it has got progressively worse and we have continued to push for its repair. A number of local people have experienced a drop in water pressure.

We are pleased to report that we spoke to Thames Water today and they have finally commissioned a contractor to repair the leak over the next few days. This may mean a period when people's water supply in the area is turned off.

We also discovered that Thames Water is about to launch a new service whereby people can be notified by text message about potential interruptions to the water supply. If you have a Thames Water online account you can register your mobile number there. Alternatively you can call them on 0800 714 614 and ask to be added to the service.

There have been a number of leaks at the corner of Ambleside Avenue and Mitcham Lane and we have asked Thames Water to find a more permanent solution to prevent this happening again.

[Update 20/3/13 This has now been fixed. We spoke to the contractors and while they were fixing one leak, another leak began, so they replaced a large section of the water main ]