Leak leaves villagers questioning hosepipe ban

3 hours ago

Amber Macey

News image — Kevin Harris says he can fill a litre jug with water from the leak in less than 10 seconds

BBC A man with white hair crouches on a grassy, sloping bank holding a silver measuring jug beneath water flowing from a leak. He is wearing a grey T-shirt and black shorts. To the right, water can be seen in a beck. — Kevin Harris says he can fill a litre jug with water from the leak in less than 10 seconds

Villagers believe a water leak is wasting about 8,600 litres a day during a hosepipe ban.

Residents in Minting, Lincolnshire, said the leak was reported to Anglian Water on 16 August and engineers had marked out the location, but were yet to carry out repairs.

Kevin Harris, who has measured the flow of water, said: "I've lived in this village for 40 years and I've never seen a leak like this. How many baths could you have from that?"

Earlier this month, Anglian Water said its hosepipe ban may continue into the winter, with parts of the region remaining in drought. The firm said the hot summer had led to more leaks and its team would fix the problem in Minting "as soon as they can".

Harris demonstrated the strength of the flow by filling a one-litre jug in just under 10 seconds – which would add up to about 8,600 litres in 24 hours if the rate remained constant.

He said the hosepipe ban was "a bit hypocritical" under the circumstances.

"You've extended your hosepipe ban, but we've got this leak – and how many more that we don't know about?" he added.

A wide-angle shot of two man standing on a grassy, leafy bank with red-brick houses and a white van behind them. They are pointing towards a point on the ground. The man on the left has grey hair and wears glasses, a striped blue and green polo shirt and blue jeans. The man on the right has white hair and wears a grey T-shirt and black shorts. — Peter Disley (left) with Harris on the bank of the beck

Fellow villager Peter Disley said water from the leak on The Green, a private, residential cul-de-sac, appeared to be flowing into a nearby beck that was usually dry.

"Every house could use their hosepipe and it still wouldn't be as much water as the leak," he said.

"It's just a waste of clean water. Thousands of litres a day is going to waste."

Anglian Water was usually "very good" at responding to leaks, he added, but in this case "nothing seems to be getting done".

A close up shows a silver measuring jug being held beneath flowing water in a beck surrounded by green vegetation. Water can be seen pouring into the jug as it is used to demonstrate the scale of the leak. — Kevin Harris describes the leak as "horrendous"

On 11 July, Anglian Water introduced a hosepipe ban for the first time in a decade, affecting customers across Lincolnshire.

On 11 September, Grant Tufts, the firm's public affairs lead, told a meeting of Norfolk County Council that the ban was "not going to be stopping any time soon" and could be in place until "even the winter".

Anglian Water said it had 245 people working to find and fix leaks, with priority given to those that had the greatest impact on water supplies.

The firm had also invested in technology to "find leaks faster", including deploying acoustic loggers, which listen for escaping water, drones with thermal cameras and "satellite technology to spot hidden leaks from space".

"We know that it's frustrating to see leaks left running, particularly while we have hosepipe restrictions in place," a spokesperson added. "Please trust that we're working as hard as we can to repair every leak as soon as possible."

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