Relief over huge water leak
A LARGE illuminated sign has appeared in the Galley Common area warning that Plough Hill Road could be closed until January 22 so that the huge leak, dubbed ‘Plough me a River’ by householders, can be stopped.
But it is understood that Severn Trent bosses are aiming for the works to be completed by today, but have the permit to close the road until 22 just in case.
Thousands of gallons of water have spilled out on to the road for more than a month and the resulting road closure has been causing chaos for local residents for more than two weeks.
But a Severn Trent spokesperson has stressed that the huge operation is going well and extra staff are being drafted in to make sure it is completed as soon as they can.
“Repairs to the leak on Plough Hill Road are going well, and we’re working as much as we can and bringing in additional teams to make sure this work is completed as quickly as possible,” the spokesperson said.
“We’re really sorry for inconvenience it’s causing, and really do appreciate everyone’s patience as we continue to work on this complicated burst. As the leak is on one of our bigger pipes, the repair has needed planning and specialist equipment on site to make sure everyone’s water remains on, as this includes the hospital.
“We’d like to thank everyone again for their continued support and patience, and assure everyone that it’s our priority to get everything back to normal as soon as we can.”
Warwickshire county councillor Dan Gissane, Galley Common ward representative, said that he shares the frustration that residents and businesses have faced over the past six weeks due to the road being one of the only ways in and out of the area.
“The diversions in place have added a significant amount of travel time to journeys, especially during peak hours,” he said.
“Parents taking children to school from Galley Common across to the primary and senior schools over in Hartshill have seen what is usually a ten minute round trip take an hour or more.
“My understanding is that the damage to the pipes was much more severe than first expected and this has caused further delays. What has been disappointing is the lack of information available from Severn Trent Water. We’ve seen no information on their website or social media and most of the updates have come from local business owners speaking to the staff working on the repairs.
“One of my concerns is that the thousands of gallons of water could have caused significant damage to the surface of the road but we won’t know until the leak has been successfully repaired. I have met with Highways officers from Warwickshire County Council several times over the last few weeks to discuss this and have arranged for an inspection of the road once the repairs have been completed, hopefully next week.”
He concluded: “I would like to thank Severn Trent for keeping the disruption of the water supply at a minimum, especially over the Christmas period, but do hope to see an end to it soon and would ask if they plan to compensate any of the local residents for any extra mileage incurred and to local business owners for the loss of business.”