Councillor calls weeks-long water leak ‘disappointing’ amid hosepipe ban
A Barnsley councillor has criticised Yorkshire Water over a persistent leak in Darfield that continues to spill onto a busy road, despite a hosepipe ban urging residents to conserve water across the region.
Councillor Kevin Osborne, who represents the Darfield ward, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the leak, located near 128 Doncaster Road (A635), was first reported to him at the end of June. Yorkshire Water attended the site on 8 July and carried out a patch-up repair, but water continues to flow from the area, even as drought restrictions remain in place.
The issue had still not been resolved, which coun Osborne says is ‘not a good look’ for Yorkshire Water in the face of a hosepipe ban which is currently in force across the region
Cllr Osborne, also on behalf of Darfield councillors Trevor Smith and Pauline Markham, said: “If Yorkshire Water are telling Darfield residents there’s a drought and a hosepipe ban, and thousands of vehicles are passing this every day on a major trunk route between Doncaster and Barnsley, it isn’t a great advert for Yorkshire Water.”
He added that it was “extremely disappointing” that no follow-up application to properly repair the leak had been made so far.
Yorkshire Water confirmed it attended the site on 8 July but said a more complex repair is now scheduled for Monday 21 July, the first day of the school holidays, to minimise disruption.
The company said the delay is due to the need for three-way traffic lights, movement of a bus stop, and coordination with the council’s highways department to ensure safety.
A spokesperson for Yorkshire Water said: “We would like to thank local residents and road users for their patience whilst we carry out this important repair and apologise in advance for any inconvenience it may cause.
“We understand that leaks are frustrating for our customers, and reducing leakage on our networks is a priority for us. Leakage is the lowest it has ever been in Yorkshire, and it’s something that we work on all year round. We have reduced leakage by 15 per cent over the last five years and will be spending £38m over the next five years to continue bringing that number down. We’re also working on a £406m scheme to replace more than 1,000km of pipework to make burst and leaks less likely.“
“As we’ve been in this period of extremely dry weather, we have dedicated even more resource to reducing leaks as we look to protect our resources. We recently recruited 100 extra leakage inspectors to help us find and fix leaks faster, and they joined a team that is out and about across Yorkshire 24/7. At the moment, they are fixing more than 400 leaks a week, prioritising those that are losing the most water.”
The hosepipe ban currently covers all of Yorkshire, with residents urged to avoid unnecessary use of water for car washing, garden watering, and filling paddling pools.