West Norfolk A148 leak is 'not our water' to fix, Anglian Water claim

Anglia Water and the Highways department of the county council are both declining to fix a water leak which was reported months ago.

John Johnson, of Grimston Parish Council, originally contacted Anglian Water six months ago regarding a leak on the A148 near Hillington.

The leak is just after the B1440 Sandringham junction coming from the Lynn direction.

Mr Johnson then reported the leak again four months ago but said the issue has still not been resolved.

A spokesman for Anglian Water has stated the leak is the responsibility of Highways rather than the water company.

He said the water was leaking from a drain hole which is for Highways to resolve.

He claimed the leak is being caused by a collapse in a surface water drain according to the spokesman.

“There have been a couple of leaks there two months ago and one month ago which we repaired but the leak is still running down the road,” the spokesman said.

“We tested the water and there was no chlorine in so it is not our drinking water.

“We have liaised with Highways and it is their responsibility. We have done our best to do our bit.”

However, a spokeswoman for the county council said that was not their understanding of the situation.

She claimed Anglian Water should be able to provide details on when they were fixing the leak.

Anglian Water said they previously used leakage detective equipment in the area, which showed all the pipes were fine.

In response, an exasperated Mr Johnson said: “I was initially surprised to hear Anglian Water was tossing the ball into the Highways court because for the last six months, at the very least, there has been a combination of standing and running water along both sides of the road on the approach to the petrol station in Hillington.

“As I use the stretch of affected road on a daily basis I was surprised not to see any form of investigation by them and I left the situation for two months before contacting them again.”

He previously added: “Even after a week of dry weather, the leak is still there permanently.

“There must be high pressure for it to force its way through the tarmac. It’s just obvious that there is a water leak because the carriageway before it was bone dry.

“If you can repair something for £5 do it instead of dragging on then it costs more in five years time.”