Inspectors to check flats hit by water misery

Inspectors to check flats hit by water misery ENVIRONMENTAL health officers will undertake an inspection today at a Leeds apartments complex to assess if it is still fit for residents who have been without running water for six days. I spoke to the directors of a housing group who said if it was them, they would close it on hygiene and sanitation grounds. "Realistically, if we have water back by Friday, I will be impressed. Residents say their main concern is their toilets, which they can only flush by carrying water from ground level in buckets. The Leeds Council spokeswoman said: "We will be conducting an environmental health inspection on Tuesday to establish whether there are any potential issues. However, we contacted them to supply advice and support. It's not healthy to be here any more. Efforts to make a repair on Saturday failed and those living at the block fear it could be Friday before supplies are restored. A lunchtime meeting held yesterday in the Toast bar, which is one of the businesses on the ground floor, saw rental residents swapping notes on whether their tenancy agreements entitled them to refunds on rent and resolved to take advice. Among those who attended was Joe Hurd, 25, a development manager for a media company. "If they don't pay, I will be getting lawyers involved," he added. It's absolutely ridiculous. Like others who have already moved out, Mr Hurd said he would go to a hotel if the water can not be restored, keeping receipts for the management group Mainstay, or his letting agent. A spokesman for the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineers, chief executive Kevin Wellman, said plastic pipework would normally have a long guarantee and he did not think the West Point experience was a common one. But he added: "Questions will obviously be asked about whether this system was properly put in place and tested. Mainstay's only statement yesterday was an email passing on a Leeds Council offer to allow West Point residents free access to the showers in Leeds-run leisure centres. One tenant responded: "It's a kind offer but the nearest one to here is Armley, which is a long way for a shower. Plumbers will also return to the 14-storey development in an attempt to find an ideal solution to the damaged piping which initially saw the water supply severed to the apartments last Wednesday. Inspectors to check flats hit by water misery Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 08/05/2012