Anger over Rossendale's never-ending leak (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Anger over Rossendale's never-ending leak

7:00pm Thursday 31st January 2013 in News By Chris Adams

FAMILIES on a Stacksteads street say they are unable to go into their back yards due to a ‘stream’ of water caused by a leaking pipe.

Mum-of-three Lucy Beaumont said the problem had persisted for 18 mon-ths and no-one from United Utilities or Rossendale Council was taking resp-onsibility. She is furious that her chil-dren cannot play at the back of their house, in Hindle Street, despite having spent £1,500 on improvements to the back garden since moving there four-and-a-half years ago.

Mrs Beaumont, a care home nurse who also looks after her children Ella, four, Sophie, one, and Noah, three months, said: “It’s just a mess. We can’t even let the kids out there as the water is con-stant and impassable at times. It’s com-ing right into the yard and totally unsafe.

“I nearly fell before Christmas when I was pregnant and I know one of our neighbours has fallen as well.

“United Utilities came and dug up the manhole at the top of the hill in October and said that’s where the problem is coming from, but we haven’t heard anything since. It might seem insignificant to them but it’s a big deal to us when we’ve spent time and effort into renovating the house. It’s horr-endous.”

The water means Mrs Beaumont and her husband, Matthew, an engineer, have difficulty putting their bins out, and the problem area smells and attracts flies during the summer.

A spokesman for United Utilities said: “We’re sorry residents are being inconvenienced by this, but this is a complicated issue and our investigations so far have not confirmed the water is escaping from our pipes. This could possibly be rain water which is find-ing its way down Hindle Street. We’re con-tinuing our tests and hope to have the source of this water identified shortly.”

Coun Jimmy Eaton said he was working with Rossendale Council’s property services department to resolve the issue.

He said: “It’s affecting all the properties, some more than others, but the people are fed-up.”