Oxford mysterious water leak ongoing for three months

A puddle of water has been growing on St Clement’s in Oxford over recent months at the side of the road in the bus lane due to an unknown leak.

One local who spotted the leak, Khadar Mohamed Abdul, said water has been flowing continuously and wasted daily for more than three months, and neither Thames Water nor Oxfordshire County Council‘s Highway’s team would help.

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Mr Abdul said: “I find it extremely disappointing that while residents are encouraged to conserve water and face significant increases in water tariffs, such visible water wastage can continue for months without accountability or urgency from the responsible organisations.

Oxfordshire County Council initially denied responsibility for the long-running water leak (Image: Contributed)

“Water is a precious natural resource, and protecting it should be a priority for everyone, including public authorities and utility companies.”

When approached by this newspaper, a spokesperson for Thames Water said the leak had been tested and, as it did not contain chlorine, was not accepted as an issue on the company’s network.

A spokesperson for the water company said: “We responded to reports of a leak on St Clement’s Street, Oxford, in April.

“We visited the site twice and carried out tests to ascertain the cause of the flow of water on the road.

“Our tests revealed that this water is not from a leak on our network.”

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The company pointed instead to Oxfordshire County Council, suggesting it was a groundwater drainage issue.

Oxfordshire County Council had previously denied the leak was the council’s responsibility, saying it lay with Thames Water.

Responding to the water company this week, a spokesperson for the council said: “The issue is being investigated.”