Water cut-offs in Caversham
Adam Hewitt • Published 28 Oct 2010 09:30
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THOUSANDS of people have had their water cut off overnight this week - and are facing more misery next week.
Thames Water is carrying out work at Kingwood Reservoir in Oxfordshire, meaning it had to shut off supplies for customers in Caversham, Emmer Green and many south Oxfordshire villages from 10pm-6am on Tuesday into Wednesday, and will do the same again from 10pm on Thursday (November 4) next week.
This is on top of work by Thames Water contractors on Caversham Bridge, where one of the two Reading-bound lanes has been closed until next Thursday (November 4). Water supply shut-offs linked to the bridge work were scheduled for today (Thursday) (October 28) only but should affect just a few nearby businesses. The bridge improvements are part of a scheme to upgrade pipes and balance the pressure at which water is run through the town.
But the overnight shut-offs for the reservoir work on Tuesday and next week frustrated council leader Andrew Cumpsty, a Caversham resident, who said Thames Water needed to do more to help or compensate people affected.
He said: “I’m absolutely livid beyond words with Thames Water. That’s a lot of homes affected and a lot of people who depend on having a good supply of water, particularly carers and the elderly who rely on it.”
Cllr Cumpsty attacked the response to his complaints by Thames Water, which stressed it had given more than the statutory amount of notice necessary, as a “classic example of corporate avoidance”.
He said: “I would like Thames Water to tell the good folk of Caversham and the whole area north of the river what they are going to do to look after their customers. We’re talking about 6,000 people and I don’t think it’s acceptable.”
Thames Water spokeswoman Amy Dutton said special measures are taken for customers needing a constant supply of water, such as people on dialysis, but that compensation is not an option for the majority of its 14 million customers because of the sheer amount of repair work the company does.
She said: "We have to carry out essential maintenance to our network to ensure we can continue to provide the top quality service our customers expect.
"In this case, we've replaced a water pipe that had a history of bursting,
causing disruption to customers and road users each time.
"We are sorry for the inconvenience the final stages of this work will
cause and to minimise it we have planned to do the work overnight. "
This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 28 Oct 10
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