"Completely unacceptable" works on Wandsworth High Street
Published: Friday, November 8, 2024
The Leader of Wandsworth Council has written an open letter to Thames Water, to express his frustration at the ongoing emergency works on Wandsworth High Street.
Share this
An open letter to Thames Water
Dear Chris,
I am writing to express disappointment and frustration over the delay in completing repair works on Wandsworth High Street. Despite your commitment to complete this work by 8 November, we have now been informed that they will overrun by a further week, extending until 14 November. This delay has resulted in traffic chaos, significantly impacting the daily lives of our residents, local businesses, and those who commute through Wandsworth.
Residents and businesses are rightly angry that the works will be extended for another week. They have shown remarkable patience throughout these works, enduring interrupted water supply, restricted access and increased congestion. These continued delays are completely unacceptable given the serious effect they are having on the local economy and community life.
Thames Water must prioritise these repairs and take every measure possible to ensure works are completed on time.
We expect improved communication from Thames Water with the Council and the public, providing timely and accurate updates. You must be transparent with local people about this extension, updating your webpage with the exact date you will complete the repairs by, and make a concerted effort to get your updates seen and heard by our residents. So far, we have not seen the level of communication that we would expect.
We also want to see comprehensive support for the homes and businesses that have been affected, and an improved offer of compensation for those residents facing the misery of persistent water supply issues. It is unacceptable that our residents are having to cope with low or no water pressure in their homes and rely on bottled water deliveries. We do not feel that the offer of up to £60 per day is adequate given how long local people have suffered, and we want this support provided proactively, without residents needing to apply.
The Council expects a swift and transparent resolution to this matter, and we will continue to advocate for our residents until the repair works are completed as promised.
Yours sincerely,
Simon Hogg,
Leader of Wandsworth Council
Statement from Simon Hogg
In response to Thames Water’s ongoing work on Wandsworth High Street, Simon Hogg, Leader of Wandsworth Council was quoted as saying:
“I absolutely share residents' frustration over Thames Water’s delay in completing their works on Wandsworth High Street. The project was due to be completed by 8 November, but Thames Water has now informed the council that their work needs to be extended another week until 14 November, causing further congestion and tailbacks throughout Wandsworth Town, and misery for households facing an interrupted water supply.
“These delays are completely unacceptable and we’re pushing Thames Water daily to speed these works up. This disruption is causing significant traffic chaos, and we are fully aware of the impact these delays have on the lives of our residents. It is unacceptable that our residents are having to cope with low or no water pressure in their homes and rely on bottled water deliveries.
“Thames Water’s priority must be restoring the water supply to residents in the north of the borough, and reinstating normal access to the roads as quickly as possible.
"We have written to Thames Water and will keep pressing until this work is completed to the standard our community deserves.”
Further information:
Thames Water is providing compensation worth up to £60 a day to affected households so we encourage residents to claim this support if they’re eligible. Claim compensation here.
For the latest updates, Thames Water has information on their website.
View the letter:
