Elderly tenants 'ignored' after flooding outside homes (From Enfield Independent)

Elderly tenants 'ignored' after flooding outside homes

10:36am Wednesday 13th June 2012 in News By Sarah O'Brien

Tenants Francis Goldhill and Connie Fowler feel they are being ignored.

Elderly council tenants in Cockfosters say they are being “ignored” by water companies following flooding outside their homes.

The paths outside the homes of several people, in Cockfosters Road, are submerged under water due to a water pipe that is believed to have burst on Sunday.

The heavy rainfall the following day has worsened the situation, thereby upsetting many of the elderly who live in the street.

Connie Fowler, who has lived in Cockfosters Road for eight years, first noticed the leaking on Sunday at 6am.

She “rang the alarm” to warn other residents and contacted several water companies, including Thames Water and Veolia Water.

The 84 year-old said: “By Monday morning, I was getting really angry. Nobody had been back and nobody seemed bothered. My next step is to contact the Health and Safety Executive because the water could be sewage.”

Maria Kakhouri, 74, says she understands her neighbour, Thomas Holloway, 96, is house-bound owing to the severity of the leak.

She said: “Thomas can’t leave his home any more — it is that bad.”

Mrs Fowler added: “No one wants to come out. All of them are elderly and none of them are well. All in all, the whole thing has been a nightmare.”

The water companies said the delay in replying to the residents was due to the pipe lying between their boundaries, and an initial confusion over which one was responsible for fixing it.

Veolia Water since established that the pipe is privately owned and therefore falls under the responsibility of Enfield Council.

A Veolia Water representative said in a statement: “A customer service technician from Veolia Water visited Cockfosters Road, Enfield on Tuesday 12th June to inspect a leak.

"However, we can confirm that the water is leaking from a private main which falls under the responsibility of the local council. We have been liaising with Enfield Council to make them aware of the problem.”