A UTILITY firm has pleaded with the public to report leaking pipes after water trickled out onto a road for two whole months.

Anglian Water has confirmed the defective pipe in Notley Road, Braintree, has now been fixed after it took enforcement action against the resident responsible for repairs.

Water had been trickling out from the pipe for 66 consecutive days and according to nearby resident Pamela Richardson, had made the pathway along Notley Road slippery and dangerous for pedestrians.

She said: “It was flooding the pavement which became lethal because it was slimy and someone could easily have slipped over it. I’ve seen people having to walk into the road just to avoid it as well which is just as dangerous.”

She added: “The water was just pouring down the hill and no one was doing anything about it.

“You could actually see the water coming out the property, it was like a stream.

“I contacted Anglian Water about it but they said they couldn’t do anything because it was on private property.

“They told me it was first reported on May 13 so it’s been going on for a while.

“It’s terrible to think all of that water has been wasted since then.”

Anglian Water says it inspected the leak when it was first reported but was unable to complete repairs as the defective pipe was on private property.

The firm says it issued a number of notices demanding repairs were made and would have been forced to take legal action had the pipe not been fixed.

A spokesman for Anglian Water told the Times the leak had been fixed last week but described the process as frustrating.

He added: “The leak reported to us on Notley Road in Braintree was within the boundary of a residential property and as such was the responsibility of the homeowner to repair.

“On several occasions, we asked the homeowners to complete the necessary repairs and ultimately issued them with a legal enforcement notice to undertake the required work.

“We’ve now confirmed that the leak has been privately repaired and this matter can now be brought to a close.

“Our region is the driest in the UK and we would always encourage customers to report leaks to us, no matter how big or small.”

To report an issues, contact 0800 771 881.