Meter thieves cause flooding

Thousands of litres of municipal drinking water – enough to fill five swimming pools – flooded Selborne in East London after thieves stole three meters, and Buffalo City Metro took 14 hours to shut the flow.

Three Selborne homes were left with no running water while water gushed and burbled down the gutters from their vandalised meter boxes.

Residents said the robbers had struck at 7pm on Saturday, but all efforts to get BCM to at least stop the wastage had come to nothing.

Grant Hobbs said water had been spurting out of his meter box throughout the night.

“When you phone the afterhours emergency number for water and waste, an automated voice answers and gives two alternative cell numbers to contact and those just go to voice mail,” Hobbs said.

Evette Olivieri said: “Last night I was told that BCM had sent someone with a truck, but that they had the wrong equipment and had to turn back.

“We haven’t heard anything else.”

According to a BCM technical source, the thieves lift the meter box lid, close the tap and then grab the entire meter unit and vigorously bend it up and down until it breaks.

By 9am on Sunday about 113,000 litres of water had been wasted.

Municipal spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya did not respond to questions.