Croydon (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Mother and daughter say months-long water leak, delays, and poor response from Thames Water have left them struggling with minimal water access.
The matter was initially brought up in February by Maxine and her daughter Tammy Ann-Harrison, who reside in a Moat Housing Association home in New Addington. They claim that even though they called Thames Water several times, not much was done to assist them until the issue got out of control.
“Everything is a mission at the moment,”
said Maxine Brigham.
“We might as well have a well because we’d be better off with that.”
“We phoned them up and reported it,”
said Tammy.
“They said there was no visual evidence of a leak, but we could hear it 24/7, even next door could.”
The pair says the leak caused a constant high-pitched hissing noise and vibrating pipes. It also affected other residents on the street who share the same water supply.
“I’ve had to keep a fan on, even in the middle of winter, just to try and drown it out,” said Tammy. “It was this high-pitched noise that was driving me mad.”
In May, Thames Water finally came to fix a leak on the property, but the larger problem was still unfixed. Engineers excavated a deep hole just outside Maxine and Tammy’s front door to reach the pipe, leaving it buried but encircled by debris.
Debris has been shoved to the side, and the hole is still there months later.
“They literally just left all their stuff here and a hole in the floor,” said Tammy. “Luckily, I moved it before it got any worse and ruined our garden.”
In June, their predicament deteriorated when their taps’ flow virtually stopped, leaving only a feeble stream coming from the kitchen sink. Their landlord thus relocated them to short-term housing in the heart of Croydon while the problem is being resolved.
However, the everyday disturbance has persisted. To take care of their cat and get necessities, they still need to go back to their house in New Addington every day.
“Each day, my mum comes here to drop the dog off because it’s the only place he can stay. I go straight to Shoreditch, then come back here after work to feed the cat, pick up the dog, and go back to Croydon to shower,”
said Tammy, who works as a picture framer in East London.
Tammy and Maxine are becoming more and more irritated with Thames Water’s response to the problem. Despite the fact that the leak is situated on the housing association’s private property, they claim Thames Water has postponed or canceled several appointments.
Although Maxine claims that blame is constantly shifting between the housing association and Thames Water, the firm believes the leak is between houses 94 and 95.
Despite paying £59 a month for their water supply, an £18 increase this year, Maxine says she has refused to continue making payments until the problem is resolved.
“They only got back to us when I cancelled the direct debit,”
she said.
“Then they sent a bill for the whole year. I told them, I’m not paying for anything until this is fixed.”
Chris Simmons, Head of Neighbourhoods for Moat in London and Sussex, told the LDRS:
“This is a really frustrating experience for our customer, and we’re truly sorry they’re facing this disruption. We’re staying in close contact to offer our full support and to keep them fully informed.
Thames Water has now confirmed the location of the leak and will be attending next week on Wednesday, 6 August 2025. We’ll continue to be in communication with Thames Water to ensure this is resolved as soon as possible for our customer.”
A Thames Water spokesperson said:
“We attended the property and repaired a leak which did not resolve the overall problem. There is a leak on the service pipe, situated on private land owned by the housing association, which is causing low water pressure.
Customer side leaks are the responsibility of the landlord or housing association to fix. However, we are returning to the property as soon as possible to fix the hole left by our original repair work.”
What steps has Thames Water taken so far to repair the leak and restore a full water supply?
When a leak is identified or reported, Thames Water’s leakage teams assess the situation including the urgency, location, and impact on customers’ supply. After fixing, roads or surfaces are restored, which may take additional time to safely set.
They prioritize leaks based on water loss volume, customer impact, complexity, and location. Repairs are planned to minimize disruption to customers and may involve coordinating with local councils or other utilities.
Repair teams carry out the fixes, which might require shutting off water, redirecting flows, or