Residents of five houses in Pontycymer, Bridgend county, say they are being pressured by Dwr Cymru Welsh Water to pay for a leak repair on a shared pipe, with costs estimated at over £7,000 per household. Despite no visible signs of a leak or loss of water pressure, the water company has given them until the end of July 2026 to fix the issue or face prosecution.
Residents describe stress and sleepless nights
Nerys Walters, one of the affected residents, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the dispute has caused massive stress over the past two years. “It’s been a nightmare situation for us that has really caused us all a lot of stress,” she said. “Welsh Water have said they would pay for a new line that runs parallel to the front of property, but we would then have to fund the cost of it coming in from the gate, and through the house to our rear stop-cock.”
Walters added that contractors quoted more than £1,000 per metre for the work, which they cannot afford. Their insurance company refused to pay without evidence of the leak from Welsh Water, which has not been provided despite requests over 18 months. “No evidence of the leak, and no reason as to why they adopted other pipes in the street but not ours,” she said.
Elderly resident feels isolated
Eddie Wood, 86, who has lived on the street for over 30 years, described sleepless nights since receiving the letter about the leaking pipe. “I’ve been very worried about it. They told us there was a leak and we had to fix it, but when we looked on the deeds there was nothing on there about responsibility for the pipe,” he said. “I worry about it when I’m in bed at night and even first thing in the morning. I’m 86 now so I don’t have the money coming in that I used to and it can feel quite isolating having to fight such a big organisation.”
Councillor questions Welsh Water’s approach
Labour councillor Martyn Jones, who represents the area, said the situation is “distressing” for residents. He met with a Welsh Water engineer but has yet to see any evidence of liability. “The engineer in possession of water supply plans was unable to identify where the leak had been discovered,” Jones said. “The course of action currently being undertaken by Dwr Cymru concerns me in that I question how many other residents living in the Garw Valley and beyond are equally vulnerable if a similar situation was to develop elsewhere. Enforcement and prosecution should be the last resort. I appeal to Dwr Cymru to reconsider its position and work with local residents especially those who are financially vulnerable.”
Welsh Water defends its position
A Welsh Water spokesperson said: “We have been working with the residents at Gwaun Bant, Pontycymer, Bridgend, who have a leak on a private, shared pipe to their properties. The pipe is not owned or managed by Dwr Cymru Welsh Water and is the responsibility of the property owners. However, to support the residents we have offered a free connection to our main if each property connects individually. We appreciate this will be an inconvenience for customers so we have also offered a contribution towards the cost of the required work to get a pipe from the properties to the main.”
The residents continue to seek a resolution, with the deadline looming and no evidence of the leak provided.
