A WATER company has been flooded with complaints after neglecting to fix damaged pipes in Lane End. Thousands of gallons of water continue to spill into the High Street from cracked pipes - which started leaking more than six weeks ago.

James Allen, who runs the butchers on the High Street, said: "The damaged pipes have been leaking water for weeks now. I couldn't even hazard a guess as to how much water has been lost. I've contacted the water board several times. They keep promising they're in the process of tending to the problem but as of yet there's been no sign of them. Not only is it unprofessional on their part, but it's a hazard as well. The water is spilling on to a busy road – so it's permanently wet."

Ken Twine, owner of the Osborne Arms, added: "I'm fed up with it. Because it's outside the pub customers immediately think it's our problem, so they complain. I can't understand why nothing has been done."

Residents and businesses in the High Street first alerted Thames Water to the problem when water started oozing from pipes in early July.

But the Reading-based company has defended its actions, claiming the recent spell of hot weather has caused problems throughout the district.

Andrew Boyd, engineer, told the Free Press: "We're the largest water company in the country in terms of population – we deal with more than 13 million customers, between Kent and Gloucestershire. We are aware there is a leaking pipe outside the Osborne Arms and we're in the process of fixing it. At the moment we're writing to people in Lane End asking them not to park there so we have access to the site. There has been a great deal of more immediate work in the area lately and our resources have been stretched. Recent warm weather has caused the ground to expand which moved the pipes causing damage."

The company promised to allocate engineers to the problem on Sunday, but villagers told the Free Press they would not be holding their breath.