Couple's row with water firm after getting 'wrong' advice to dig huge trench

A family have been left with a huge trench outside their home after they claim to have been given wrong information about a leak on their property.

Husband and wife Vincenzo and Lisa Pranzo, from South Ribble, Lancashire, described their experience with a national water company as "horrifying" and a "nightmare" after they followed the guidance of an employee which turned out to be wrong.

On October 1 2021, the family home received a visit from a United Utilities inspector who reportedly told Lisa that he was checking properties for leaks due to a recent spate of high water usage in the area.

Having checked the driveway and surrounding areas of the property, the inspector told Lisa she had a leak at the corner of her property near the house and said work needed to be carried out.

Vincenzo arrived home and, having been brought up to speed, said that in that specific part of the property there were no pipes but the inspector reportedly still assured them there was indeed a leak and he would investigate the matter.

"He said to us, 'yeah you've definitely got a leak'. Who am I to argue with someone who works for United Utilities and he is supposedly qualified?" Lisa said.

The employee said the leak was under the property and due to that United Utilities wouldn't fix it.

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The couple were given two options, they could dig a trench and get a stop tap with an insulated box fitted outside or pay £2,500 for a company to use a mole - displacing the soil and creating a bore instead of a trench.

Because of the hefty cost, the family was unsure what to do.

Days before Christmas when the couple still hadn't figured out how they would fix their leak, Vincenzo walked up to the top of the driveway when his foot started sinking through the ground, right above where a pipe is.

But, during a re-inspection, the couple were told that the leak was simply a "random pool of water".

Vincenzo and his son decided to dig up a hole in the path themselves to prove where the leak was coming from, which soon filled with water.

Having removed all the water from the hole, they watched as the water soon filled the hole up once again showing that the water wasn't coming from a source underneath the house but from the top of the driveway.

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Despite being able to show where the leak is coming from, Lisa says the inspector still refused to take on board what they had found so the family decided to get Christmas out of the way and go back to the inspector's original suggestion to dig up the trench in the new year.

In doing so, Lisa says they would have been able to apply for the Lead Replacement Scheme which allows customers to receive a grant to pay for the replacement fixture.

The family was told if they dug the trench the company would fix the leak within 2-3 days, Vincenzo then spent three weeks digging a 30-metre trench. After finishing, United Utilities said it would be 3-4 months.

After arranging for a new inspection, a different employee arrived and quickly identified the problem, which was metres away from what the original inspector has specified.

Within an hour the leak was repaired, but the family were still left with the trench.

During this time, Lisa's 8-year-old son badly hurt his foot on the rubble outside their home and after an infection, he was put on antibiotics.

Lisa attempted to get some compensation for the trench they never needed to dig but after 10 days she was told she would have to fix it herself.

She said dealing with United Utilities had been a "nightmare from start to finish".

A United Utilities spokesperson, said: “We are sorry that Mrs Pranzo is disappointed with the service she has received.

"Whilst we will try to help customers when a leak has been identified on their property it is ultimately their responsibility to maintain the water supply pipe to their home.

"We are still in contact with the customer and are working with them to resolve the issue.”