Pub loses 'thousands' in Thames Water outages

Residents are calling for answers from Thames Water after the water supply in a historic market town was cut off five times in two years, with businesses losing "thousands".

Royal Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire saw its most recent outage last weekend and local restaurant owner Ashley Windle said he had to "cancel" and "disappoint" 260 customers last Sunday losing "thousands" of pounds in both revenue and fresh food wastage.

Chippenham MP Sarah Gibson has asked Thames Water to attend a public meeting this month to talk about solutions.

Thames Water have been approached by the BBC and are yet to comment.

Windle said the communication from Thames Water "through the whole process" had been "next to none" and that last time it happened, the business received a "measly sum of £70" in compensation.

"We all know the economy's not the best...it's just something that can't continue happening time after time after time," he said.

Referring to the water company, Windle said: "If they were incredibly transparent and precise and specific with you about exactly what's going wrong and when it will be sorted you could give them a bit of a rope."

However he added the "frequency" in which they're happening in "a small localised area" is "obviously frustrating".

Under the water industry regulator Ofwat, if the piped supply of water fails, the companies must provide at least 10 litres of water per person per day to affected consumers within the first 24 hours, and maintain this until the piped supply is restored.

Gibson said Thames Water were "unable" to provide an alternative water supply and it was "poor management".

"They also have a vulnerable list of people for whom they are supposed to take water directly to their address," she added.

Gibson told BBC Radio Wiltshire she had no yet received a response from the water company regarding a public meeting.

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