All those strong and narky letters to Thames Water are finally paying off for the people of Cranleigh.
Penning letters to the water authority has become a full-time job for Cranleigh parish, Surrey and Waverley councillor Liz ‘The Biz’ Townsend.
Along with the Cranleigh Civic Society – which she founded – she has worked tirelessly to persuade and coerce Thames Water to shape up and replace worn-out pipework in and around Cranleigh.
Huge new housing developments have put a massive strain on 50-year-old pipework, only to see them burst – here, there and everywhere, over the past couple of years. New housing developments have resulted in more leaks than in No 10, and bottled water stations have to become a regular visitor attraction on almost every street!
She told the public recently:
After many years of lobbying, along with the Cranleigh Civic Society, we have been encouraged by the latest decision by Thames Water to carry out a replacement programme for some of Cranleigh’s drinking water pipes commencing on the Summerlands Estate on 27 September 2021 and continuing up to February 2022.The ageing asbestos cement pipes will be replaced with plastic pipes and this will undoubtedly have an impact on the number of bursts we are currently experiencing. Those properties affected should have received one of the letters below. There will be some disruption for residents but you should be informed in advance of any interruption in service. This is a small step in our replacement programme and we will continue to lobby Thames Water to encourage them to expand this programme further. In the meantime please do report any burst pipes that you see https://www.thameswater.co.uk/leak/ and if you can let me know their location too to add to my list that would be really helpful liz.townsend@surreycc.gov.uk
Excessive pay and poor performance have damaged consumers’ trust in water companies, the industry regulator said recently.
Ofwat said firms must link senior executives’ pay to improved customer service, while companies that boost their profits by borrowing large amounts of money may have to share bumper rewards with customers.