Residents in Lambeth have reported ongoing issues with low water pressure and contaminated water since February.
Thames Water started to replace cast-iron water mains with plastic pipes in Lambeth on 19 January across the borough, which cover 86 roads and are expected to last until 2031 covering 86 roads.
The works are designed to reduce leakages and outages will, but Kennington residents have expressed frustration the pipe upgrades or pressure-fixing works often take months to implement and claimed communication between housing providers, Thames Water, and residents was unclear.
One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, reported strange smells of bleach in the water system, yet she claimed she was not informed of the results of tests for bacteria nor did she receive confirmation that the water was safe.
She said: “They said they’d call if there were any concerns, which they didn’t, but it would be good to have a confirmation letter that everything was okay.”
(Credit: Puntid Tantivangphaisal)
Another woman, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed she had issues with water pressure which resulted in water ingress into her property and that fixing the problem took considerable time.
She also claimed she has lost water supply to her home three times since 2020.
A third anonymous resident claimed she experienced a sudden outage of tap water in late February without prior notice.
She claimed when she contacted Thames Water customer service, she was told that there was no scheduled maintenance in the area or known outages.
A spokesperson for Thames Water said they were unable to respond to these specific claims, but signposted customers to a link via which water quality can be checked as well as contact information to report an issue.
They added regular tests are conducted by Thames Water to ensure water safety.
(Credit: Puntid Tantivangphaisal)
The spokesperson said: “Every year we carry out more than 500,000 tests on drinking water, taking samples from our water mains and pipes, as well as from customers’ taps and our laboratory analysis is independently assessed and accredited by an external agency.
“We take the quality of our water extremely seriously – it is one of the highest quality drinking waters in the world – and since 2010 more than 99.95% of tests taken from customers’ taps met the standard required by UK legislation.”
Vauxhall and Camberwell Green MP Florence Eshalomi was approached for comment.
Anyone to report an issue with their water supply such as strange smell or taste should call Thames Water on 0800 316 9800.
Featured image credit: Puntid Tantivangphaisal
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