Residents in a South Wales village say they are facing mounting financial pressure and emotional distress after being told they may have to pay thousands of pounds to repair a leaking water pipe serving their homes.
Five households in Pontycymer, Bridgend county, claim they have been informed by Welsh Water that they are responsible for fixing a shared private water supply pipe, with estimated repair costs exceeding £7,000 per property.
The residents, who live in the Garw Valley area, say they have been left frustrated and anxious after allegedly receiving no clear evidence confirming the exact location of the leak. They claim the lack of documentation has prevented them from making successful insurance claims to cover the cost of the required work.
Welsh Water, however, maintains that the pipe is privately owned and therefore falls under the responsibility of the homeowners. The company has warned residents that failure to address the leak within the given timeframe could result in enforcement action under Section 75 of the Water Industry Act 1991.
Residents Question Responsibility For Private Water Pipe
The dispute centres on a shared water pipe located behind a row of terraced homes in Pontycymer. According to residents, Welsh Water has requested that the existing rear pipe system be replaced with a new connection running along the front of the properties, with each household receiving an individual connection.
While Welsh Water has offered to provide a new connection to the main water supply, residents say they would still be required to cover significant additional costs, including installing pipes from their property boundaries through their homes to the rear stopcocks.
Homeowner Nerys Walters said the ongoing dispute had created significant stress for residents over the past two years.
She explained that the households initially believed their insurance providers would cover the repair costs. However, insurers reportedly declined to provide financial assistance because residents had not received sufficient evidence proving the existence and location of the leak.
“It’s been a nightmare situation for us that has really caused us all a lot of stress,” Walters said.
She added that residents had repeatedly requested details about the leak but had yet to receive the information needed to move forward.
“This has been going on for about a year and a half now and we’ve been asking for that evidence ever since but have been given nothing,” she said.
Walters also claimed that contractors had provided estimates of more than £1,000 per metre for parts of the repair work, significantly increasing the financial burden facing the affected households.
Elderly Resident Raises Concerns Over Financial Pressure
Among those affected is 86-year-old resident Eddie Wood, who has lived on the street for more than three decades.
Wood said receiving the initial notification about the leaking pipe had caused considerable worry, particularly because he questioned whether homeowners were legally responsible for the infrastructure.
“I’ve been very worried about it. They told us there was a leak and we had to fix it, but when we looked on the deeds there was nothing on there about responsibility for the pipe,” he said.
He added that the situation had affected his wellbeing and caused ongoing anxiety.
“I worry about it when I’m in bed at night and even first thing in the morning,” Wood said, explaining that his financial circumstances made the potential repair costs particularly concerning.
The residents have also raised concerns about whether similar situations could affect other homeowners if private water supply infrastructure becomes subject to repair demands elsewhere.
Councillor Calls For Resolution Between Residents And Welsh Water
Bridgend councillor Martyn Jones has described the situation as “distressing” for the Pontycymer households and has called for further discussions between residents and Welsh Water.
Jones said he had met with an engineer from the company on behalf of the affected homeowners but claimed he had not yet seen evidence demonstrating that the residents were legally responsible for the repair costs.
“The course of action currently being undertaken by Dwr Cymru concerns me in that I question how many other residents living in the Garw Valley and beyond are equally vulnerable if a similar situation was to develop elsewhere,” he said.
The councillor urged Welsh Water to reconsider its approach, arguing that enforcement measures should be used only as a last resort, particularly when residents may face significant financial hardship.
Welsh Water Defends Repair Request
Welsh Water said it had been working with residents at Gwaun Bant, Pontycymer, regarding a leak affecting a privately owned shared pipe supplying their properties.
A spokesperson for the company said the pipe was not owned or managed by Welsh Water and therefore remained the responsibility of the property owners.
However, the company said it had offered support by providing a free connection to the public water main if each property installed its own individual supply.
Welsh Water added that it had also offered a contribution towards the cost of connecting the homes to the main supply, acknowledging that the required work would cause inconvenience for residents.
The company said repairing the leak was necessary because water wastage needed to be addressed, while failure to comply with the notice could lead to further action under existing water industry regulations.
The dispute continues as residents seek further clarification over liability, evidence of the leak and potential solutions that would prevent them from bearing the full cost of the repairs.