Residents feel ‘fobbed off’ over water supply problems
PARTS of Bollington have seen an intermittent water supply again over the last week according to residents.
Susan Coen, 53, says her home has been left without running water four times in the space of a week.
She says homes in the Grimshaw Lane and Chancery Lane area were left without water on the November 14, 15, 16 and 20.
Susan and partner Peter have resorted to filling a pail from the well in the basement of their cottage and using it to flush the toilet.
Other occasions the couple’s home has been left without water this year include on January 3 and 17, September 21, and November 8.
She said residents feel ‘fobbed off,’ with the issues persisting after reporting the problems repeatedly to United Utilities.
United Utilities said engineers have been out in the area checking the water network.
The company confirmed work is currently being carried out on the reservoir that serves Bollington, with water supplies re-routed, but that this generally does not create problems.
Susan said: “I’ve never known anywhere like it, I feel like we’re being fobbed off. There is something seriously wrong with the pipes.”
“I’ve tried contacting them, I’ve got an online webform, but when you complete everything, the submit button is greyed out.
“You can’t do anything; even basics like having showers. It’s just ridiculous. It’s a bit like going back to wartime.”
Susan first contacted United Utilities in 2017 when a number of houses were left without water.
Town councillor Nigel Macartney said he has received a number of text message alerts in recent days warning of low water pressure, and that he has been aware of the issue for a few years.
He said: “The town is quite old compared with parts of Macclesfield, particularly up in that area of Chancery Lane.
“So, by definition, the pipework will be quite old.”
A United Utilities spokesperson said: “We apologise to customers in the Bollington area who have experienced intermittent low water pressure during times of peak demand.
“The reservoir which
feeds Bollington is currently being cleaned, while this takes place water supplies have been
temporarily re-routed. This is standard activity which doesn’t generally affect water pressure. Our
engineers are investigating why this has happened so we can get the taps flowing normally 24 hours a day.”