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Sheffield residents’ anger over delay in stopping leak
Water Leak, Carfield Lane, Meersbrook
GUSHING water has caused ‘significant damage’ to a steep Sheffield street – including a hole 5ft deep.
Residents are now calling for urgent action to tackle the problem at the junction of Carfield Lane and Cat Lane, Meersbrook, which developed on Christmas Eve.
People in the area say the damage to the unadopted road is disrupting access to their properties and the hole is a safety hazard.
There is also concern the road would become slippery if frosty weather returns.
Jeremy Ramsbottom, of The Meers Cattery, Carfield Road, said: “Sheffield Council has inspected the area twice and says about 500 gallons of water are leaking every minute.
“Significant damage has been done to Carfield Lane and the bridge over the Meers Brook.
“There is a hole 4ft by 2ft and 5ft deep and a loud rumble comes from the hole. It’s clearly a mains burst.
“There is a risk to health, because a child could fall into the hole and drown. The area in question is not lit by street lighting and there is a risk of a pedestrian falling into the hole and being injured.”
Mr Ramsbottom said if the water had been stopped on Christmas Eve, ‘thousands of pounds of damage’ to the road surface could have been avoided.
He said residents feared the water will cause a further danger if the weather turns cold, because the roads are very steep and the leaking water could turn to ice.
Yorkshire Water said the delay in fixing the water leak was due to determining the cause of the problem.
A spokesman for the utility firm said: “There is a large diameter water main in the area.
“However, we do not believe this has burst as we have had no reports of customers losing their supplies or experiencing low pressure.
“We are sorry this issue is taking some time to resolve.
“Yorkshire Water engineers have visited the site three times recently to identify where the water is coming from.
“To date, the tests have proved inconclusive, so we have visited the site again to talk to the customer about his complaint and carry out further investigations.”
* Watch Mr Ramsbottom’s video of the water leak in Meersbrook online at Water leak, Carfield Lane, Sheffield
Have you had a problem with leaking water? Email: letters@thestar.co.uk
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Weather for Selby
Thursday 20 June 2013
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 12 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: East
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Light rain
Temperature: 11 C to 19 C
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