10 floods in one year: Burst pipe misery for neighbours near Wolverhampton
A burst water pipe is causing misery amongst residents in one street – who say their homes and gardens were flooded 10 times in just one year.
Residents of Cedars Avenue in Wombourne, near Wolverhampton, said each flooding incident wreaks havoc on their properties, but they fear it will keep happening unless the ageing pipe running underneath their road is replaced.
Frustrated, they claim that Severn Trent only do ‘patch jobs’ each time they come to sort the situation.
Anthony Weston said he cannot see an end to the problem, and is often waiting for the next flood to hit.
Mr Weston, age 74, a retired worker in the oil industry, said: “We’ve had 10 bursts in 12 months, and each one damages something.
"I was lucky this time but my neighbour has had his drive ruined. It’s done so much damage to our properties.”
“Once the pipe blows there’s no way of stopping it, it’s like a fountain and goes about two feet in the air.
"The worst one we ever had was when we had to take off all the plaster in the hallways and porch. Our garden has been ruined more than once too.”
Mr Weston’s neighbour, Richard Spiers, said he now had to get his driveway completely re-paved after the mass of water came rushing towards his home.
The 63-year-old retired GP said: “I had a bloke come down the other day and said it’s like a time bomb. It’s just a matter of when it’s going to go off again.
“It’s tough on all of us. The water was like a torrent all down the side of the house this time. We had sandbags but the water came under the block driveway, it lifted it up.”
Mr Weston added: “The first time this all happened was in September, and me and my wife got our new carpets fitted on Christmas Eve. That’s how bad it was.
“We don’t get compensation either. To be honest I wouldn’t even try as it would be a waste of time.
A Severn Trent spokesperson said plans were in place to replace the pipe in Cedars Avenue.
They said: “We’re really sorry for the flooding this burst pipe has caused and we’ll work to get things put right. Plans are in place to get the length of pipe replaced and we hope to get that work complete in the near future.
“In the meantime we’ll closely monitor the pipe to reduce the risk of further leaks and bursts.
"We know how difficult this must be for our customers who have been affected and once again we’d like to say sorry for the disruption.”
