DESPITE numerous complaints to three authorities, residents in Hook are still plagued with a water leak which is eroding the road surface and causing a major hazard to cyclists.

For three years Lydiard Tregoze Parish Council has complained of a leak at the junction between the C414 and Flaxlands Lane, opposite the Bollingbroke Arms, to Wessex Water, Thames Water and Wiltshire Council.

But on every occasion each organisation has denied responsibility for the leak, exasperating councillors and frustrating residents.

“With this utter waste of water, the damage to the road surface and the potential road accidents we are not concerned in blame,” said Peter Willis, chairman of the parish council.

“We just want someone to take the lead, examine the cause, carry out a repair and reinstate the road surface.

“The residents of Hook in the parish of Lydiard Tregoze in north Wiltshire are sick and tired with the ongoing leak of water at the junction with Flaxlands and the C414. For more than three years reports have been made to Wiltshire Council, Thames Water and Wessex Water – all to no avail.

“Water is seeping through the road surface, damaging the road surface, there must be thousands of litres of water wasted in this time.

“Wiltshire Council say it’s not our responsibility. The water has been treated so it can’t be surface water. Thames Water have said at various times that it is surface water, that the leak is on private land and they are unable to inform us on whose land it is due to ‘Data Protection’."“A member of Thames Water, on Tuesday, April 28, the day that we had no water due to a burst in the water main feeding Flaxlands Reservoir, that the leak was due to surface water, even though we had had no rain for more than three weeks. When I went to collect bottled water I noticed the water at the junction had all but dried up.“The day after the water supply was back to normal, the leak was back.”

Both water companies have said the leak is not their responsibility and instead pointed to the local authority and to the Environment Agency to deal with it.

A spokesman for Wessex Water said: “Wessex Water does not provide water or sewage services in this area. The area is not served by Wessex Water but services are provided by Thames Water.”

A spokesman from Thames Water said: “Our engineers have investigated this and in May took samples of the water to test whether it was from our drinking water pipes. Tests confirmed it was not drinking water from our pipes or waste water from our sewers.”

Wiltshire Council are looking into the issue.

A spokesman said: “We are investigating the details of this issue. However if residents have any concerns about potholes they can report them to us and we will deal with them straight away.”

Since it is not an issue of pollution, the Environment Agency had no record of the problem being reported to them.