Skip to content

Frustration as water leak continues during drought

Tony Fisherin Bedford
News imageTony Fisher/BBC A man wearing a black top standing beside a temporary metal security fence at a roadside construction site. Behind the fence, an orange excavator is positioned within an area of exposed earth, while traffic lights, barriers and road infrastructure are visible further along the road. Overhanging tree branches frame the top of the image, and fallen leaves are scattered across the pavement and ground. There is bright sunlight and a clear blue sky.Tony Fisher/BBC
Peter Jones said a hole had been dug, but no work had taken place for about six weeks

People living near a roadside water leak have been left frustrated it has not been fixed for weeks during a drought.

Martyn Smith, 63, said the leak on Manton Lane in Bedford began on 11 September but "nothing has happened apart from a digger making a big hole".

He added it was "very frustrating when we are having to be careful with water with the hosepipe ban and the lack of rain".

Anglian Water said it was a complex repair on a main that supplied a large number of properties and added that it had "needed to carefully plan the work and have specialist equipment manufactured to complete it".

News imageTony Fisher/BBC A roadside footpath that has been partially flooded, with water flowing across the paved surface and pooling near the grass verge. Temporary traffic management measures, including a traffic cone, pink safety barriers and a red sign reading “FOOTWAY CLOSED AHEAD”, have been placed to restrict pedestrian access. A large mature tree is on the right beside the path, while a road runs parallel to the flooded area on the left, with streetlights and vehicles visible in the distance. Tony Fisher/BBC
The leak runs down from the verge on to a footpath and then on to Manton Lane

Peter Jones, 58, said he could not have imagined "the amount of water coming out of what is essentially a fountain" and most of it was going down a storm drain.

"It is just extraordinary how much water is being lost," he added.

"Anglian Water's slogan is 'Love Every Drop', but there are not just a few drops here — there are tens of thousands of gallons.

"They don't love every drop when they are allowing this amount of water to be wasted and flow down a drain at a time when everyone is on a drought alert in this town."

News imageDJ Mclaren A woman wearing a blue and white top standing on a pavement beside a roadside area affected by surface water, with temporary pink safety barriers visible behind them. The pavement and grass verge have water flowing across. A large tree is on the left side of the scene, while a residential road, houses and roadside vegetation extend into the background. DJ Mclaren
Joan Lightning said the leak had been dubbed by locals as the "Manton Lane waterfall"

Joan Lightning, 63, said it was "ridiculous" and the water had been "streaming down there for so long it has algae in it".

"There have been leaks on and off for years on Manton Lane," she added.

Jones said people were "resigned" to the long-running problem and "attempts have been made to solve it, but they have clearly failed".

Smith said: "It seems pointless to keep repairing it when it just fails somewhere else."

He wants Anglian Water to "not lecture us about saving water when they are pouring it down the drain".

"They are charging a lot of money for services, and our bills are going up - is this what we are paying for?" he asked.

News imageTony Fisher/BBC A fenced-off area of open ground bordered by temporary metal security fencing and purple plastic safety barriers. The enclosed land contains a water leak. A notice is attached to the fencing on the right-hand side, while additional barriers and fencing can be seen further into the background. There are trees and hedgerows surrounding the site.Tony Fisher/BBC
Peter Jones said he could not have imagined "the amount of water coming out of what is essentially a fountain"

Anglian Water said a team was due on site on Tuesday to begin the work and would be back again on Monday.

It thanked residents for their patience "while we get things back to normal".

Do you have a story suggestion for Beds, Herts or Bucks? Contact us below.

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

More on this story
Related internet links