No mains water - sure this is illegal?

[Rollerball]

Okay, bit of a long story this - just asking it off the cuff really as it's not my water supply that I'm asking about.

My mother's neighbours have a shop at the bottom of their drive and, for some reason, the water supply goes via the shop and then into their house at the rear. As the supply goes via the shop, both the shop and the house share the same stopcock by the side of the road.

The problem is that the shop had a burst pipe on Boxing day, causing much stock damage and a very annoyed shop owner (understandably so). However, perhaps due to his annoyance over his stock damage he has been less than helpful to my mother's neighbours who have, at the time of writing, been left with no water as he has had to turn off the supply at the stopcock.

To make matters worse the shop owner has just gone on holiday (something that he had pre-booked abroad) and has basically said to my mother's neighours that he really doesn't care about their lack of water. Bearing in mind that they also have children surely this really isn't on?

Apparently the local water company have given them a very large supply of bottled water, but that doesn't really help them in certain respects.

So where does this leave them?

The guy is on holiday, he has expressed a lack of interest in helping them, and they are apparently now looking to get solicitors involved.

Surely the shop owner is being obstructive? He's had a plumber in but the fittings were old and the plumber didn't have suitable replacements on him (he can get them, but now of course can't gain access as the shop owner is away).

Should my mother's neighbours perhaps even involve the police?

It seems a shame as they are great people and, up until now, no-one has had a bad word to say about the shop owner. I guess emotions were high and, as a result, the shop owner and my mother's neighbours fell out. Even so, isn't he effectively preventing someone from having their entitled water supply?

Note: I don't know all of this details, this is simply what I've gleaned from my mother who gets on extremely well with these neighbours.

 

[silverback18]

I would of thought this is illegal, even the water suppliers cannot cut off your water supply, so I do not see how he can simply shut off the supply and go away on holiday

 

[xr4x4]

i guess its been turned off at the road?

can the shop turn off thier stop cock and turn the road tap back on to restore water to the other property?

also where do they stand llegaly if they turn the water back on and to hell with the shop?

 

[1john]

Re instate the water, those pesky kids must have turned it on although you could assume that the plumber had access and sorted the problem.

 

[Rollerball]

i guess its been turned off at the road?

Correct.

can the shop turn off thier stop cock and turn the road tap back on to restore water to the other property?

Afraid not, the only way to stop the water pumping from the burst pipe was to turn it off at the main stopcock.

also where do they stand llegaly if they turn the water back on and to hell with the shop?

I would imagine that they would be accused of damaging property, knowing that turning the water on at the stopcock would result in the shop being flooded again. Besides, they are nice people, they wouldn't do that.

 

[Rollerball]

I would of thought this is illegal, even the water suppliers cannot cut off your water supply, so I do not see how he can simply shut off the supply and go away on holiday

That's what I thought. He could have at least left a key with them to give to a plumber to give the plumber access.

Or maybe he's not the trusting type. I don't know him so can't comment.

 

[Rollerball]

Re instate the water, those pesky kids must have turned it on although you could assume that the plumber had access and sorted the problem.

Now there's a thought ..........

 

[spraggo]

[quote="Rollerball";p="1846800Or maybe he's not the trusting type. I don't know him so can't comment.[/quote]

Have a look at your house deeds it may tell you who is responsible,

 

[1john]

Let's put the shoe on the other foot for a second, what would a person with this attitude do if your friend did to him what has been done to them.

I have the same setup on a house i'm renovating, i cut the old lead pipe out and installed a new MDPE pipe using a different route to a new location, on doing that I cut my neighbor off, i worked flat out with pipes running through my property to cobble up some pipework that back-fed the old pipe until I could get appropriate fittings, and that was just so they could have water in the night, I could have fixed it the next morning in less time than it took to cobble it together for temporary.

 

[Bahco]

The local press would love a story like that and the publicity would do the shopowner good!

 

[Rollerball]

Let's put the shoe on the other foot for a second, what would a person with this attitude do if your friend did to him what has been done to them.

Well quite. Although I'm not 'friends' as such with them (the shop owner or my mother's neighbours - I've never met the shop owner but on the few occasions that I'm spoken to my mother's neighbours I've got on great with them, as does my mother - they are really nice people and have helped my mother on numerous occasions, I'd be honoured to call them friends). But I digress.

I have the same setup on a house i'm renovating, i cut the old lead pipe out and installed a new MDPE pipe using a different route to a new location, on doing that I cut my neighbor off, i worked flat out with pipes running through my property to cobble up some pipework that back-fed the old pipe until I could get appropriate fittings, and that was just so they could have water in the night, I could have fixed it the next morning in less time than it took to cobble it together for temporary.

Sounds like you busted a gut to help them out, major kudos to you for that. If only the shop owner had helped out as much (but, understandably, I guess he was more concerned about his shop and stock damage at the time). Even so, his attitude is apparently pretty bad.

 

[Rollerball]

[quote="Rollerball";p="1846800Or maybe he's not the trusting type. I don't know him so can't comment.

Have a look at your house deeds it may tell you who is responsible, [/quote]

I would if it was my property, but it's not. I assume that that my mother's neighbour has done this.

 

[Rollerball]

The local press would love a story like that and the publicity would do the shopowner good!

That thought had also crossed my mind.

 

[Rollerball]

Surely though there is some legal pressure that could be applied to the shop owner? I mean, he is effectively denying water to someone.

Can't he be fined? Could the police force entry to his shop so that the plumber could gain access, fix the leak and so turn on the water?

I understand that he's no doubt stressed over it all, but he's compounding the problem by going off on holiday and not appearing to help my mother's neighbours to restore their water supply, so they've now been without water since the 26th.

 

[Onetap]

The problem is that the shop had a burst pipe on Boxing day, causing much stock damage and a very annoyed shop owner (understandably so) .

Shopowner's fault.

My mother's neighbours have, at the time of writing, been left with no water as he has had to turn off the supply at the stopcock..

Shopowner's fault.

Use the bottled water for cooking and drinking. Buy more if necessary. Employ a plumber to rig up a temporary supply from a neighbour's garden tap for washing, cooking and cleaning. Turn off the mains stopcock to prevent backfeeding to the shop.

Present the Shopowner with the bills when he returns from holiday. See a solicitor when he doesn't pay up. His insurance will pay it, if he has any. Stay happy.

They could move into a hotel and present him with the bills when he returns.