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Leeds family's water ordeal
A mum and her two young children have been left without water for a week because of a broken pipe that Yorkshire Water bosses say they are not allowed to fix.
Stacey Woolley, 22, and children McKenzie, three and Ellie May, two, have been forced to borrow water from neighbours since their taps ran dry on Ellie May's birthday last Wednesday.
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Worried Stacey had been planning a birthday party and after making urgent calls discovered that Yorkshire Water had been asked by firefighters to turn off the supply because of a leak in a nearby property in the early hours of Wednesday.
But the family's home on Westbourne Avenue, Beeston shares a supply with the house, meaning their own water has also been shut off.
Yorkshire Water say they are powerless to fix the broken pipe as it is privately owned and instead gave Stacey and her family four bottles of water.
But the frustrated mum said: "Yorkshire Water have said there's nothing they can do and it's down to the landlord of the other house but so far there's no sign of the repairs being done.
"I feel awful because it was Ellie May's birthday, I was going to have a little party but I wasn't able to do it. The kids are asking me for stuff and I've had to ask neighbours for water. We just don't know when it's going to come back on."
A spokesman for Yorkshire Water said that the company is not legally allowed to touch the pipe because it was under private ownership.
He told the YEP: "We stopped the water but we can't carry out the repairs. It's a private pipe and as such it's up to the landlord of that property to get it fixed.
"We realise that being without water is a distressing situation that we wouldn't wish on anyone and we will provide as much help and advice as possible to Miss Woolley."
He added that more bottled water would be made available to the family.
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Weather for Leeds
Friday 25 May 2012
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