THAMES WATER’S response to Reading’s lack of water has been criticised by politicians from all parties in the town, with one saying the firm is ‘taking the Mickey’ and another saying the company doesn’t care about residents.
On Saturday, a problem at the Pangbourne Water Treatment Works saw water pressure drop across the town. Some homes reported no water, while others couldn’t get enough to heat their homes.
Water stations were set up in The Meadway in Tilehurst and the Savacentre at Calcot to allow affected residents have access to bottled water.
The problem was thought to have been resolved by Sunday lunchtime, but an airlock in the system meant homes in the RG1, RG8, RG30 and RG31 area were once again seeing water dribble out of their taps, rather than gush.
On Monday, schools and offices were forced to close as the low water pressure meant it was unsafe to stay open.
Thames Water set up more stations offering bottles of water, this time in east Reading’s Tesco Extra store and again at The Meadway.
But the firm didn’t issue clear communications over the weekend, and their statement on Monday morning apologising for the problems couldn’t give a fixed time as to when the supplies would be back to normal, meaning Reading is a town unable to shower.
Cllr Jason Brock, leader of Reading Borough Council and Reading Labour, said the issues with Thames Water had been ongoing.
“Reading Labour have been calling for Thames Water to get their act together for a long time, and even brought them to a Council Committee to scrutinise their poor performance across the town,” he told Reading Today.
“This latest issue is on a larger scale and their support to, and communication with, residents has been unacceptably poor.
“Credit is due, especially to Cllr Mark Keeping, for pushing on behalf on his residents in Kentwood to get updates and a resolution.
“Residents understandably feel that Thames Water simply don’t care about them.”
The leader of the opposition, Cllr Rob White, felt Thames Water should have been more pro-active.
“The low water pressure is causing all sorts of problems for people from no drinking water to school closures,” the Green party councillor told Reading Today.
“Thames Water needs to get its finger out and sort this problem out as soon as possible.
“I hope in future they will concentrate less on bonuses for bosses and more on maintaining their infrastructure and fixing leaks.”
And Reading’s Liberal Democrats said the water company’s performance has been “shocking” in recent weeks, saying three weeks into 2024, Reading residents have seen flooding, sewage leaks, road disruptions, and now water shortages and school closures, all courtesy of Thames Water.
They were also critical of the company’s proposal to raise bills by almost £15 per month despite paying tens of millions of pounds in dividends to its parent company in recent years.
Cllr James Moore, councillor for Tilehurst and leader of the Liberal Democrats on Reading Borough Council, said: “For three days now, residents across Reading and into West Berkshire have been suffering from no or low water pressure.
“After this latest issue on Sunday, west Reading residents have been left in the lurch, with the emergency water stations closing when people most needed them, and very slow to reopen the next day.
“A neighbour called Thames Water when the water went off completely on Sunday evening, only to be told by the operator to go and buy water from a shop.”
He continued: “Thames Water are taking the mickey with this new proposal to increase customers’ bills. If they need to raise money, they need to look closer to home before raiding residents’ wallets during a cost-of-living crisis.”
Reading Conservatives were contacted for a comment.
Reading Today has asked a series of questions to Thames Water about the incident and will share their responses when we have received them.
