Vulnerable households left without water for days after major leak and supply cut

Vulnerable Windsor residents who were left without water for four days are frustrated at how Thames Water has handled the problem.

On Friday morning, the Express learned that residents in Perrycroft (in Clewer and Dedworth East) had been without water for about 36 hours.

The Express understands that Thames Water turned off the water after discovering a large leak under a private driveway, affecting water supply to eight properties.

Because it is a ‘private-side issue’, Thames Water advised residents to contact a plumber for this so the water supply can be restored.

Residents remained without water until Monday and expressed their frustration that Thames Water were ‘not dealing with it’.

Even when it is not Thames Water’s leak to fix, the company still has responsibilities to its customers.

It should still take ‘reasonable steps’ to restore the supply and provide alternatives, such as bottled water, if the supply is interrupted for an extended period.

The company should also give priority help to people on the Priority Services Register of vulnerable people. This includes Rachel Edmunds, a mother living in Perrycroft.

She said life over the past several days has been difficult for her family of five, including her three-year-old.

“I’ve had to cancel my work,” she said. “I work from home but I can't wash my hands between clients.”

She decried the lack of proactive communication from Thames Water, the difficulties getting hold of them on the phone, and the absence of support with no updates or welfare checks.

Rachel said she was initially told that no bottled water could be delivered.

Though she and her family did eventually receive bottled water on Friday and Saturday, there was none on Sunday.

What they did get – six two-litre bottles – isn’t enough for a family of five, she said – it’s enough to drink, but not to wash or flush the loo. Rachel felt like Thames Water had simply ‘ticked a box.’

There have been other issues in the area; the Express understands there was a burst pipe and a broken valve on Clewer Hill Road, which caused low pressure and interruptions in the area.

Ward councillor Helen Price (Ind) also noticed water ‘steaming down’ nearby Camm Avenue.

She, like Rachel, has spent more than an hour at a time on the phone with Thames Water, trying to get to the bottom of it all.

Cllr Price said it was ‘bizarre’ that the company ‘refused’ to help Perrycroft residents originally and found their response ‘completely unsympathetic’.

“It's an absolute mess,” she said. “[The residents] are innocent parties – they are families with children [and] they aren’t well off. They can't suddenly get a plumber.”

A Thames Water spokesperson said:

“We’re sorry that some residents in Perrycroft have been experiencing problems with their water supply and we apologise for any issues they've had while contacting our call centre.

“When the engineer arrived [on Friday], the main outside stop valve for the shared supply had been isolated, so this was reopened to restore water where possible.

“As a result, several homes now have a small amount of water to their kitchen taps, although we understand that others remain without water.”

The Express received word that water was restored to Perrycroft residents on Tuesday, which Cllr Price puts down to ‘pressure’ on Thames Water from residents and the town’s MP, Jack Rankin.

She said there are ‘lessons to be learned’ from the disruption.