A HOMEOWNER who claims that leaking pipes in his street have been flooding his basement repeatedly for the last five years has criticised a water company for refusing to accept responsibility for it.
Colin Avis, 55, of Essex Road in Leyton, says Thames Water have carried out tests which show that the leak which seeps into his property is clean and contains chlorine - strongly suggesting it has come from the water supply.
But he says despite several attempts at digging up the road in recent years the firm has been unable to find or fix any faults.
He said: "I'm getting fed up with it all. It just goes on and on.
"Fairly frequently about two or three inches comes in, and it doesn't seem to correspond with rainfall at all, so we're pretty certain it's coming from a leaking pipe. Some staff have admitted in the past there's been leaks in the road."
A spokesman for Thames Water did not deny that the leak might be coming from the water supply and said he could not go into details for legal reasons.
He added: “We sympathise with Mr Avis. Unsealed basements in older properties in this area are in the water table of an underground stream.
"When the water table is high, the likelihood of seepage to these basements increases.”
Mr Avis, who is retired, owns the top floor of the house and shares the basement with his downstairs neighbour.
He said: "Together we've spent about £3,000 tanking the basement, which is where you waterproof it by coating the floor and lower wall in cement and so on. But even then the water comes through.
"We've had to spend another £900 on a pump and it seems to be constantly soaking up water.
"Obviously we can't use the basement, and the insurers say it's the water company's responsibility.
"But they just won't accept liability. It's gone on too long and it's ridiculous they won't even own up.
"I'm also concerned because if water is leaking out of a water pipe then the supply itself could be getting contaminated by the earth around the leak."
Mr Avis added that he has complained about the problem repeatedly to Thames Water but is not taking any legal action.
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