Water Leak underneath my property

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30 Apr 2008
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Location
Manchester
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United Kingdom
A few months ago I received a note from United Utilities letting me know that there is a leak either under mine or my neighbours property and it is our responsibility to fix it.

Now United Utilities got a letter from the neighbours's plumber saying that they excavated and found that the leak is under my property not theirs.

United Utilities are taking this letter for reference and ask me to dig underneath the property to repair the leak or they will take me to court.

I live on the same street with my neighbour as you understand and I did not hear any excavation whatsoever or seen any skips outside the property with rubble.

The company is called UKDN Waterflow that has branches around the country and the person who wrote this letter is one of their friends!.

Also, it intrigues me the last sentence that they asked t concrete the floor...in other words don't ask about it, you can't get into it to inspect.

How do I find out if that plumber did not write this letter using his company letter headed paper with a bogus reference.

I guess I can write to them...
Can you please advice as UU found the noise of the leak more on the neighbour's side than on mine. Can I also get a plumber to say that the leak is believed to be next door? Should I ask for permission to go next door to hear the leak otherwise I'm not convinced....?

 
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Do you have an external stop tap that isolates your property only?
If so turn it off, if noise stops then it's yours if not, it's not!
 
The question I would be asking is how an excavation in a neighbouring property has conclusively prooved anything other than the leak is not in that property. By way of a report that letter is a joke. No photographs, and no static pressure test results.

If you have an external stop tap its simple enough to perform a pressure test on your supply pipe to check if a leak exists. No digging required. If you don't have an external stop tap, I would ask UU to fit one so that the pipework you are responsible for can be tested.
 
My property is a corner one and the first one on the street. There is an external stop tap that isolates the whole street. Then I only have the stop tap inside my kitchen underneath the sink that stops the water suply to my property.

United Utilities said that the common supply pipe runs underneath my property so if the leak is not on my branch pipe, it should be on the common supply pipe so it's still my responsibility to fix the leak.

Could you please advice, what tests a standard plumber can do to find out if the leak is indeed underneath my property and would he need to make tests inside the neighbours property too?

Thanks for your replies so far...
 
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If it's a common supply then you can't isolate just your section to test, which makes excavation the only real way to be sure.

I had a similar issue with UU a while back where they said a sewer thT ran through my property, but didn't take my drains was my responsibility to repair. I told them that I would repair it with a couple of tons of concrete, funny how fast they decided to be reasonable about the situation and fix the problem. Perhaps a similar attitude would workfor you ?
 
If it's on the common supply, it should be a repair that is common and equal responsibility to all on the supply. if the burst is on the a branch, then the responsibility is with the house-owner of the branch.
It would be difficult to do a hydraulic pressure test on your section of the pipework.
 
If the letter is sent from a company, then i would get that company to hire another letter writer! Looks bullshot to me
 
Thanks all.

Question 1.

Is there a way of finding out whether the leak is on the branch or the common supply?

Also, as United Utilities have agreed that the noise is louder next door is there a way of asking them to pay for the work if no leak is found underneath my property?

Thanks.
 

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