Cutting off the water from the street

[Luckyphil]

Hi

I find that hard to believe that was their response ?

I think the only difference with my / your job is I told them there was that ‘Leak’ in the Property coupled with telling them ‘My’ stop tap was knackered may have swayed them , I also told them I was replacing the supply Pipe which was carried out by a Guy who used a Mole to from the boundary of the Property to the inside with a new Stop tap position

I’d try them again

cheers

Phil

 

[Keithmac]

I genuinely think they have to repair it, I'd file a complaint personally; don't let them fob you off..

"If the outside stopcock is on your property you will have to pay for a new one, if is on the road or outside your boundary the local water board will have to pay. You need to have the outside stopcock in working order incase there is a problem with the inside one."

Is my water company responsible for the mains water stop valve is a common question and one that the answer has recently changed. The water utility companies provide two main piped services to your home. The first is the delivery of fresh water. The second is the removal of waste water from both sewage and drainage. In the past it has been unclear as to who is responsible between the homeowner/landlords and the Utility Company for which of the piping and associated taps within each boundary. Very recently the government and utility companies have moved to clarify this as follows.
Delivery of fresh water. In the case of a detached property, the “water main” normally follows the route of roadway and a “communication pipe” branches from this to the property. This terminates in a stopcock within the pavement. A “supply pipe” comes from this to your property and it is at the boundary of your property that the responsibility of the Utility company stops and yours begins.
In the case of a semi-detached or terraced property up to the property boundaries is the same and the responsibly of the Utility company. Beyond that a “Common supply pipe” is shared by all homeowners within the boundary. Finally a “Branch pipe” is the individual homeowner’s responsibilities. So the answer to stopcocks within the boundary of your property are your responsibility and outside of that on the public areas is the responsibility of the Utility Company.

 

[JBR]

Hi

I find that hard to believe that was their response ?

I think the only difference with my / your job is I told them there was that ‘Leak’ in the Property coupled with telling them ‘My’ stop tap was knackered may have swayed them , I also told them I was replacing the supply Pipe which was carried out by a Guy who used a Mole to from the boundary of the Property to the inside with a new Stop tap position

I’d try them again
Phil

I genuinely think they have to repair it, I'd file a complaint personally; don't let them fob you off..

"If the outside stopcock is on your property you will have to pay for a new one, if is on the road or outside your boundary the local water board will have to pay. You need to have the outside stopcock in working order incase there is a problem with the inside one."

I assure you that was indeed their response when they telephoned me.
I would try them again, but I'm sure I'd receive the same response.

I'd gladly file a complaint, but to whom?

 

[Keithmac]

https://www.ofwat.gov.uk/households/

 

[JBR]

https://www.ofwat.gov.uk/households/

Thank you. I have submitted a request for advice to OFWAT and await their reply, though I have little confidence in any positive support, having read their various web pages.

I wonder how United Utilities would react if I requested a water meter, but insisted that I would not want it fitting on my internal pipework!

 

[Keithmac]

Hope you make some progress with it.

Seems United Utilities are hoping to worm their way out of their responsibilities.

 

[JBR]

Three weeks on, and I have just received a telephone call from a nice lady at UU who reminded me of their procedures and how they can, in an emergency, attend to turn off the water further back in their system within a couple of hours if necessary. I reminded her of my concerns about the need for much quicker action if a leak occurred within the property but before the internal stop tap.

I also suggested that I had done them a favour in informing them of the missing cover (in the hope of avoiding an accident to a cyclist or other road user), and perhaps she might do me favour in return!

Having gone through all that once again, she did actually relent and said she would try to arrange for someone to come to the property to examine the situation, and that she'd telephone me tomorrow to confirm the arrangements. I'm hoping for a positive outcome!

 

[mrrusty]

I think you have to approach these things in a certain way to get them to react. We have a shared sewer across the garden and the cover was broken on a manhole (where our house Ts in) (I forgot to tell them it was broken because my landscaper drove a 3T digger in to it...) Contacted them to query nicely if it was my or their responsibility to make it safe as I wasn't sure on the shared sewer, and asked if it was mine could they give me the spec for the cover needed. They said was their manhole, and came out and renewed the lot - all FOC good job! - and it was UU.

 

[JBR]

I was going to say to the woman on the phone today, that it's a shame that we can't change water companies like we can for electricity and gas! Actually, as she was very polite I didn't, but perhaps I'll save that for a different time!

 

[bernardgreen]

it's a shame that we can't change water companies like we can for electricity and gas!

If you are a business user of water then you can switch https://www.aquaswitch.co.uk/ ( other switching services are available )

What is the smallest operation that would be considered to be a business able to switch ?

. A sole trader working from home be unlikely to be eligible but the same person trading from a business unit might be eligible

 

[JBR]

Someone's coming next Thursday. I'm hoping he'll say something like, "Well, we don't normally do this sort of thing any more, but just this once..."

 

[JBR]

I take back all I've said!

I had a visit from a very helpful gentleman from UU this lunchtime (as promised).
He had already looked at the external stop tap area and, when I explained the problem of inserting an additional external stop tap on my property due to the relatively steep slope of the land, and the consequent likely depth of the pipe, he assured me that he would ensure the gubbins inside the pit would be removed.

What's more, he added that the existing cover would be replaced by a larger, circular rust-proof cover which would improve access for me in an emergency. I was very grateful for his decision and asked if my existing key would still be usable, which he confirmed.

To be honest, I was expecting another refusal, but this has restored my faith in the company. In fact, I didn't think to mention it at the time, but on reflection I would have offered to pay for the work being done. I'd consider that fair.

 

[mrrusty]

Good. I think the problem is there are so many dollopers out there who vocally complain, demand their rights, scream and shout, that the service providers are always on the defensive. When you approach them cordially and pragmatically, once you get through the gatekeepers, there are some genuinely helpful people around. This has always been my experience.

 

[JBR]

Following the visit by a chap from UU on the 15th, who surveyed the situation and agreed to replace the access tunnel and cover, on Saturday some blokes arrived and set up traffic lights then set about digging up the area around the existing access. They left later, leaving a large gaping hole in the road along with the traffic lights. That itself was quite funny as the road outside our house, despite being quite narrow, is very busy and is a favoured racetrack for the local boy racers!

On Sunday nothing happened, but then today they were back and completed the job. Then they took away all the traffic lights, barriers and cones. Job done!

I really must write to thank UU for doing this, after their initial refusal. Perseverance pays off.