A homeowner has been battling persistent flooding in her cellar since August last year, with water levels reaching up to 20cm deep. Despite multiple pump-outs and assurances from Thames Water that a leak in its main supply pipe had been repaired, the flooding continues unabated, causing structural damage to her property.
The homeowner first noticed the flooding after heavy rain and initially believed it was natural groundwater seepage. She hired a pump and cleared the water twice before contacting Thames Water in October. An engineer confirmed her pipes were intact but identified a leak in the main supply pipe, which he promised to fix. Floodcall engineers pumped out the cellar and installed a dehumidifier, but the problem returned three weeks later, with mosquitoes infesting the space.
After a fourth pump-out, the homeowner was assured the leak had been repaired, but she later found the cellar flooded again. Rendering has fallen off, bricks are eroded, and a crack has appeared at first-floor level. Despite writing to a Thames Water director in November and numerous follow-up calls, the water continues to flow.
Thames Water now says the cause is two leaks on private supply pipes on nearby properties, for which it is not responsible. The company states it has traced one leak to a property whose owner has fixed it, and is in contact with the owner of the second. It emphasises it cannot work on private pipes without the owner's consent.
The homeowner has pumped out her cellar six times, most recently before Christmas, but the water has risen again. Thames Water has declined compensation, saying the leak is not its responsibility. The homeowner is advised to claim on her buildings insurance.
The case raises questions about the wider implications for innocent householders when leaks occur on private pipes, with some calling for water regulator Ofwat to investigate.
