Leaks were gushing for days in West Hampstead 

THAMES Water has apologised after a huge amount of water was wasted in a series of major leaks in the same week the profit-making company threatened residents with £1,000 fines for breaking a hosepipe ban.

There was chaos in Fordwych Road, Mill Lane, West End Lane and Iverson Road in West Hampstead as roads were closed due to broken pipes spouting water for three days.

The pipes in West End Lane had recently been replaced during several weeks of road works that Thames Water said would put an end to leaks and water waste. Joseph Black, who lives nearby, said it was time to renationalise the water service.

He said: “There’s a wider point to be made here about what the priorities of water companies are and whether that should be open to private profit. We need public infrastructure.”

“It’s just ridiculous that it was going on for three days,” Mr Black added. A “massive puddle” at the Iverson Road junction with West End Lane had emerged on Friday and the pipe was still “gushing like a river” over the weekend.

Former Liberal Democrat councillor for West Hampstead, Janet Grauberg, said she was told the water company had to wait for a temporary traffic light to be removed before it could start work on the burst pipes.

She said: “Why were Thames Water so slow to act? It’s frustrating that we as residents are being told to consider ways to save water and there’s water gushing out for literally days on the streets.”

But she added: “Not every public institution is better at communicating and acting. I think this is about Thames Water doing better.” Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said in January he opposed the idea of nationalising utility companies, backtracking on his previous position six months earlier.

West Hampstead’s Labour Cllr Sharon Hardwick told the New Journal: “This weekend has confirmed my suspicion that Thames Water prioritises profit and shareholders over its customers – my residents deserve better.”

Thames Water has sold 25 reservoirs since the 1980s, according to the GMB union. No new reservoirs have been built in the past 30 years. Chalcots estate tenants were also left without water in their homes after mains pipes installed a year ago burst in Adelaide Road, Swiss Cottage, for the second time in a month.

Simon Happily, who lives at Bray in Chalcots, said of the recent leak: “I woke up, saw there was no water and thought ‘here we go again’ and went back to bed. “Just in the last heatwave, the pipes have broken twice. It makes you wonder how good the work was if the brand-new pipes are already leaking huge amounts of water.”

In Fordwych Road, a leak at the junction with Mill Lane on Thursday afternoon cut off residents’ water supply. “1,194 households were affected including four nurseries,” Cllr Nancy Jirira said.

“Thames Water was not getting a grip. They are putting out the message that people need to stop using water. But I’m not seeing them rushing out to stop the water as soon as they’re told.”

Tulip Siddiq, MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, said: “The leaks we have seen in West Hampstead over the weekend have caused disruption for many of my constituents and raise serious concerns about our infrastructure.”

A Thames Water spokesperson said: “Our shareholders are in it for the long-term, and have not taken a dividend for five years to prioritise investment in improving service for customers and to protect the environment.

“Most recently they approved an additional £2billion into the business so we can improve outcomes for customers, leakage and river health.”

She added: “Our customers are our top priority and we would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused by pipe leaks. We can confirm that repair work was undertaken on Friday, August 11, with the valve fixed within 24 hours from attending.

“Temporary lights remain in place whilst our teams reinstate the road. We are sorry for any congestion this has created for local residents. We aim to reopen the road as quickly as possible.”

Thames Water’s hosepipe ban begins on August 24.