It seems that West Hampstead is always under water somewhere! This week the local papers published a letter from me adorned by this rather splendid Ken Pyne cartoon.
For the umpteenth time in the last few months, last weekend West End Lane was closed, buses were diverted and traffic congestion clogged surrounding streets. And all because of a cascade of water pouring out of the pavement by Sumatra Road.
For months now, our email in-boxes and answer machines have been overflowing with complaints about mains bursts and water leaks. West End Lane, Westbere Road, Hillfield Road - there's hardly a road in West Hampstead that hasn't suffered. Water streams across roads, burst out of the tarmac, seeps from the guttering and tries to make its way down faulty drains. And all the time residents are suffering from low water pressure which Thames Water simply ignores. Thames Water is not only the most inefficient of all the public utilities, it is also the least responsive. They make huge profits while giving us a truly dreadful service and we are virtually helpless – it’s not even as if we could find another provider and if you refuse to pay your bill they can simply cut you off! And in a month’s time, they’ll probably be warning us about drought restrictions! Any (legal) suggestions as to what we can do?
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