Anger at water firm over flood response (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Anger at water firm over flood response

6:40pm Friday 11th January 2013 in News By Laura Shack

COUNCIL staff and residents have blasted Thames Water for failing to respond to sewage problems in Cirencester.

Cirencester Town Council’s chief executive officer Andrew Tubb said help did not come for almost a week after wastewater started erupting from the town’s drains before Christmas.

By then, he said the situation had worsened and several elderly residents were in a desperate state.

A Thames Water spokesman denied this and said network engineers had been out every day in Cirencester from Christmas Eve, but some works could not be carried out until water levels receded.

The spokesman said it had been a testing time for the company.

"We have 14million customers across the Thames Valley. There were a lot of things that needed sorting out," he said. "It’s not just a problem in Cirencester, or South Cerney for that matter. We had our resources stretched all over the place."

A pump was installed by Thames Water before New Year’s Eve to divert flood and sewage water from Estcote Road into the Abbey Grounds, which has since been closed due to health hazards.

A Thames Water spokesman said it was unknown how long the Abbey Grounds would be out of use and added: "If we make a mess we will clear it up."

Meetings will soon be held between representatives from agencies and authorities involved in flood prevention to discuss the recent events and how they can be prevented in future.