No running water for White City towerblock families

Despite repeated calls to Thames Water and Hammersmith and Fulham Council, the cause of the problem was not picked up until yesterday (16), when it was discovered that a burst six inch water main had gone unnoticed.

Winifred Elsabahy, 53, of Campbell House, said: "This is really scandalous. We've had no communication whatsoever. Sometimes we don't get any water all day, and on Saturdays and Sundays we get nothing at all.

"My daughter is pregnant so I worry about her because she needs plenty of water, and I worry about all the other people in the block. It shouldn't be like this - we're not in the 1950s any more."

Neighbour Firozeh Hasan Zadeh, 35, who has three young children, said: "We've been having to go to Tesco or Westfield to wash and use the toilet. For four or five days it was happening every day, and it's the same every weekend - it's impossible."

Another Mitchell House resident, who asked not to be named, said: "My granddaughter just had a baby and she had no water for a child who was less than 24 hours old. I think it's disgusting. I just feel as if they couldn't care less about this estate."

Caretakers employed by the council have been delivering small amounts of water to residents following complaints.

Slamming Thames Water's slow response, an H&F Homes spokesman said: "H&F Homes is just as frustrated with Thames Water as tenants and leaseholders must be, and we are demanding they take urgent action to restore the water supply to these homes.
"We ensured staff even came in over the weekend to deliver bottled water to residents.

"For years Thames Water has been reducing water pressure to homes across London and we want them to make a significant financial contribution to water pumps to sort this issue out."

A Thames Water spokesman apologised to residents but said the problem should have already been fixed.

He said: "We're really sorry about this. A burst six-inch main in the Shepherd's Bush area yesterday may have affected water pressure for some customers. We've fixed the pipe and we hope that's sorted this problem out.

"We are in touch with some affected residents who have agreed to tell us if problems persist. If so, we will fit logging gauges on our mains to see if, for example, there is a hidden leak that could be affecting residents' water pressure."