“Thames Water sent me a bill for £10,000 for a leaking pipe

A single mother of three was left in “pure panic” after Thames Water told her she would face a £10,700 bill next year without any explanation.

Emily Kemp, 41, a single mother of three who lives in Witney, Oxfordshire, thinks there is a leak in a pipe under her house, but Thames Water told him that you cannot come and investigate and assess the problem until Thursday January 16th.

“I spent hours on the phone to Thames Water in pure panic, and they asked me if I had any internal leaks,” Ms Kemp, an administrator, whose last bill at the end of May was for £440.

“They told me I had to bring a plumber in to check for internal leaks. I’m not sure that that much water could flow into my house without me knowing.

“But they said they couldn’t do anything until they got the plumber’s report. I was really upset.

Kemp said she phoned her housing association but was told that as there was no evidence of a leak in the house their plumber would not come until Thursday January 6.

“I then called Thames Water again and spoke to three different people, all saying it was a crazy amount of water for any residential building and in no way would it be a normal bill.

“The third person finally realized I didn’t need a plumber’s report and told me they would send someone to check the outside plumbing, but not until Thursday January 16th.

While waiting for a plumber to assess the problem, Kemp said her meter “goes on every second” and she “can hear the water running” when no appliances or faucets are turned on in her home .

“There’s clearly a leak somewhere, but it’s not at my house. Otherwise I would have a houseboat, I think,” she said.

Kemp said she had to take time off work due to the stress of the situation: “It’s before Christmas; I have three children; I’m single; I have no one to talk to about it and it has become too much. »

She added that Thames Water had said its direct debit would amount to just under £900, which “I can’t pay, it’s impossible”.

Thames Water has now reduced this figure to £30, but has suggested that if the source of the problem is not resolved the bill may need to go through a debt management process, she said.

“They basically said, ‘If it’s on your side of the property line, it’s your responsibility,’ so I always have the fear that it’s going to get worse and it might still be my responsibility. “

Kemp said that “at this point, I don’t think there’s anything I can do” to mitigate the effect of the alleged leak or determine what will happen to his bill.

“I’m just really angry and upset that they left me in such a horrible situation with no answers.”

Responsibility for a water leak normally falls on the property owner – whether a landlord, landlord or property management company – if the affected pipe passes under the property.

Water companies are responsible for maintaining communications pipes – which make up the section leading to a person’s property line – and water mains, including leak detection, repairs and replacement.

Even if the leak is under private property, a water company will often offer a free or subsidized one-off repair.

Earlier this week, Thames Water boss Chris Weston defended bonus payments to executives after the company said it would have to increase its bills to survive as its debts stood at just under 16 billion pounds sterling at the end of September.

After executives received £770,000 in bonuses, Weston said the supplier needed to offer “competitive packages” to attract talent.

Next week, Ofwat will decide whether it will allow a proposed 59 per cent increase in customer bills over the next five years.

The company also saw a 40 percent increase in pollution incidents during the first half of the year, reporting 359 so-called category one to three pollution incidents in the six months to September 30, due to a spring and of a particularly humid summer.

A Thames Water spokesperson said the company was “truly sorry” for “any distress caused by receiving a high water bill”. They said “Kemp’s meter readings show very high water consumption and therefore indicate that there may be a leak on his property.

“When she contacted us for assistance in investigating the alleged leak, she was initially offered an appointment with an engineer in January. We have studied the matter and, given the volume of water used, we agree on the need for a priority appointment.

“As such, our dedicated customer team works with (her) to arrange an earlier appointment. If we detect a leak, we will then advise you on the next steps regarding the repair work. Once the repairs have been carried out, we will then calculate a leak allowance and adjust its bill.

“We have also reviewed the customer service she has received since we contacted her and have agreed that it does not meet the standards we are looking for. We apologize for this and will apply a goodwill payment to their account once we resolve this issue.