Thames Water to Investigate Acton Flooding

Managing Director makes pledge at recent meeting with MP

Thames Water managing director Werner Boettcher has promised to hold an internal investigation into the longstanding sewer flooding in Acton before deciding if he will pay compensation to the council and residents.

Mr Boettcher attending a meeting last Friday chaired by local MP Andrew Slaughter. Also present were Ealing Council chief executive Darra Singh, chief executive of Hammersmith & Fulham Council Geoff Alltimes and industry regulator Ofwat. On the agenda was the question of who will pick up the bill for 18 months of flooding in Church Road and Ragley Close.

Ealing Council is demanding £60,000 from the water company to pay for the massive clean up operations it has been forced to carry out on a regular basis since August last year.

The council also wants Thames Water to pay out compensation to residents who lives have been made a misery by the flooding. Although Mr Boettcher admitted the matter was very serious, he said he would need to carry out an investigation before deciding what steps to take next.

Ealing's executive director for customer services Keith Townsend, who also attended the meeting, said: "We fully expect to hear from Mr Boettcher very quickly and expect him to take full responsibility for these floodings that have caused so much misery to our residents, and also cost the council tax payer tens of thousands in cleaning up the area."

Stephen Cowan, Deputy Leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council, said, "The current buck passing can not continue. Local people need to know who to call and that action will then be taken. They also need clearer guidance about what kind of support and compensation they can expect from Thames Water after incidents like this."

Other issues of concern were raised in the meeting including how the company handles customers immediate problems when flooding occurs, how it deals with the aftermath of flooding and how it could do more to help prevent flooding incidents in the first place.

The reduction in water pressure which has been implemented by Thames Water in recent years was also discussed. The reduction has meant that pumps have had to be installed and maintained in many blocks of flats which has placed an additional financial burden on local councils as the landlords.

The flooding problem in the Church Road seems to have disappeared since Thames Water cleared a blockage in the area but there have been reports recently of burst mains in the Acton Green area which some residents are speculating may be due to increased pressure from resolving blockages elsewhere in the system.

December 7, 2005