Water Leak on High Road Nearly Fixed?

Thames Water promises no more interruption to supplies

Thames Water says that it hopes the repairs to the major leak on Chiswick High Road will be finished tonight (Wednesday, February 29).

The water company also said it had taken steps to ensure that there would be no interruption to supplies while the work continued. Angry residents have complained of water being cut off without warning, and low pressure, intermittently over the past two weeks.

A statement from Thames "We are working on a very tricky repair to a 12 inch-wide water main, which burst beneath a large tree on a footpath on Chiswick High Road.

"We have now stopped water running through the broken pipe by closing a total of nine large valves in the area. We have also re-routed water into the area from other parts of our network, so we can avoid interrupting people's supplies when we begin fixing the main.

"We hope to have the pipe fixed overnight tonight. Then the job of rebuilding the pavement over the top of the mended main will begin.

“We are sorry to anyone affected by this incident.”

Fears that the mature plane tree, under which the leak is located, might be damaged, appear to be unfounded as Hounslow Council tree officers have inspected the tree and found the structural roots are still sound. However they say they will need to continuously monitor the health of the tree.

The leak, which is just outside the Majestic off-licence on the High Road, resulted in water flowing along the street for several hundred yards. The manager described how local residents had to come into his shop to buy water as their supplies had been cut off without warning.

“Apparently they were told water would be supplied but they had to come here to buy some instead”.

He said the problem had been going on for over two weeks.

February 29, 2012