Forum Topic

Basement flooding Thames Water- Breathing in mould spores- Please help

I live just off Churchfield Road, near Acton Central station. Over the past 4 years I have had problems with water coming into my basement. At first it was sporadic but even when we’ve had record dry spells, the basement still has water coming in. I have been to and froing with Thames Water for 4 years now. At first they had no recollection of their engineer testing the water positive for chlorine. Then when I provided proof they changed their mind. They say they have tried to find the leak to no avail. But over the past 4 years there have been MAJOR water works in the area; in Acton Park and in Birkbeck Road to name a few. I questioned one of the engineers on Birkbeck Road as to what was going on underground, he said they have found pipes going to nowhere, pipes coming from nowhere, and pipes they didn’t know existed (I have it recorded, along with any interaction I have with Thames as after that first incident, I no longer trust them).I tried writing to my local MP (who was Andy Slaughter at the time. He fobbed me off onto his lackeys and it went nowhere). I have had long conversations with the Water Council and the Environment agency and have been told that either directly or indirectly, Thames water are responsible for this problem, but I cant get anything from Thames apart from that they’ve tried to find the leak and it isn’t their problem. I am now at the end of my tether; I am pumping the basement every few days now, the house smells of damp, and all of my clothes, shoes, furniture- you name it- is covered in mould. And I live and sleep in this apartment, goodness knows what it is doing to my insides.To get a specialist in will cost me a lot of money which I don’t have. Can anyone suggest what I might do, or does anyone have any information about anything (leaks in the area, flooding, water tables, ect) that might help me?Thanking you in advance. PS- believe it or not, this post has been heavily edited

sara salomonsson ● 5418d12 Comments

I am sure you will know that Acton had many streams running through it which over time have been piped (Bollo Brook and Stamford brook for example) One ran near Old Oak Road and when I lived there our back garden would regularly fill with water during wet weather.What makes you think it is a leak from a Thames Water pipe rather than ground water? You mention a test that showed chlorine? and it still happens in dry weather. Presumably  Thames Water say ground water if they cannot find any leaks?. Have they provided you with a report confirming this? Looks to me as if you must get a specialist survey if you are going to prove TW wrong or accept that you need extensive tanking to keep the basement dry and that you will have to pay for it. I am sorry not to give you the answer you asked for but good luck anyway......

Iain Muir ● 5418d

The Optician's on the corner of Horn Lane & Churchfield Road have just had extensive works done by I believe Thames water for basement flooding. My husband seems to think it was caused by a blocked sewer.Might be worth going in to see the owner to confirm this and how he went about having the works done.Iain is right. There are many rivers and wells running under the streets in that area. I have a book called 'The Lost Rivers Of London' and it shows all the rivers running beneath the streets of Acton and surrounding areas....

Ellie Rose ● 5418d

presumably you have looked for leaking pipes and or drains around your property / garden Sara - is the damp worse on one wall rather than another - this narrows down the area to look in, rising damp could indicate no Damp proof course or damp proof membrane or damp exterior walls only could indicate a tanking failure which is more difficult to find  - its really a case of trying to narrow down where to search for damp coming in to the house. Unfortunately this can be quite an expensive process, this probably doesnt help , but might give you some things to investigate yourself

Joseph Birotz ● 5418d

You are talking about a large amount of water. If there is a leak of mains water you may find a permanently damp area at ground level because it will be leaking under pressure. I reported a permanent damp patch of pavement which coincided with a slight dip in front of my property, I was ignored for years but the Fire Brigade heard the leak while testing the nearby fire hydrant and reported a problem. Thames Water found a broken 6 inch pipe which had been leaking for many years.I have a different problem where I think there is water running into a broken drainage pipe causing subsidence above. The pipe has always been the responsibility of Thames Water, who of course deny that there is any leak. They could not be bothered. I may need to get my insurance company to take legal action.

Chris Bell ● 5418d

Thank you everyone for your comments and advice.Regarding groundwater, the environment agency has told me “If Chlorine has been found, as tested by Thames Water, I would suggest that the most likely cause is a damaged water main. The flooding is not due to true groundwater flooding, as the chalk aquifer in this area is situated underneath a substantial depth of clay (50m) which will prevent water from rising up. The depth to water in the chalk aquifer is approximately 40-45m (as it is under slight pressure it is higher than the top of the chalk).”. And if it was an underground river, why now?There have been copious leaks in the area, one such leak uphill from me less than 20 metres, which had been going on for years, and one downhill less than 10 houses away which I called to report on 3 separate occasions. Each time it was “fixed”. As was yet another leak slightly uphill where Thames ended up busting the pipe and having to come back, dig up the road again, and fix it again. They also damaged a house with their digging. I have pictures, videos and recordings of the numerous works which have been undertaken and my conversations with Thames Water. I have absolutely no faith in them. I managed to get hold of a FOI request made by someone else with the same problem which supposedly detailed all the public leaks in the area but several were omitted (including the ones that I had called in).Several people have emailed me with suggestions of who to talk to, thank you for those and I will be following them up. Any more suggestions and tips would be greatly appreciated.

sara salomonsson ● 5418d

Thank you everyone for your comments and advice.Regarding groundwater, the environment agency has told me “if Chlorine has been found, as tested by Thames Water, I would suggest that the most likely cause is a damaged water main. The flooding is not due to true groundwater flooding, as the chalk aquifer in this area is situated underneath a substantial depth of clay (50m) which will prevent water from rising up. The depth to water in the chalk aquifer is approximately 40-45m (as it is under slight pressure it is higher than the top of the chalk).”. And if it was an underground river, why now?There have been copious leaks in the area, one such leak uphill from me less than 20 metres, which had been going on for years, and one downhill less than 10 houses away which I called to report on 3 separate occasions. Each time it was “fixed”. As was yet another leak slightly uphill where Thames ended up busting the pipe and having to come back, dig up the road again, and fix it again. They also damaged a house with their digging. I have pictures, videos and recordings of the numerous works which have been undertaken and my conversations with Thames Water. I have absolutely no faith in them. I managed to get hold of a FOI request made by someone else with the same problem which supposedly detailed all the public leaks in the area but several were omitted (including the ones that I had called in).Several people have emailed me with suggestions of who to talk to, thank you for those and I will be following them up. Any more suggestions and tips would be greatly appreciated.

sara salomonsson ● 5417d

I have been told that testing for chlorine only works close to a leak because the chlorine is soon lost after the water has leaked into the ground.

Chris Bell ● 5417d

We had a leak in the basement Thames Water tested for chlorine,  said none present,  denied all responsibility,  lots of denials.... guess what burst mains pipe outside on the road which they eventually dug up repaired and guess what flooded cellar no more!  Thames Water will make things difficult but good luck in pressing them to remedy.

Jen Morty ● 5417d

Our cellar was always flooding.  Thames Water refused to help.  In the end we had it tanked and had a submersible pump installed, I can recommend our plasterer should you need it.  Most of the neighbouring houses have flooded cellars too - there are definitely pools of water underneath our houses in Acton.

Eileen Francis ● 5417d

There is very deep clay below Acton, the foundation pilings for the South Acton flats went down about 200 feet before they hit anything solid, and almost every house used to be a laundry with clean water from its own private well, hence the nickname "soapsud island".North Acton artesian well water is reputed to be similar to Epson Spring water, and there used to be a spa close to School Road.

Chris Bell ● 5417d

And of course the artesian well under 91 Shakespeare Road that fed Actons first swimming pool....

Ellie Rose ● 5417d

Ive been asking around. A business on Churchfield Road (which shall remain nameless, but a reader of this post put me in touch with them- thank you) has had problems with flooding. It has been going on for 5 years. It was finally found when the pavement in front of the premises was dug up. Then Thames went on to deny that it was their problem, that the pipe belonged to the business owner. Luckily said owner has kept all sorts of evidence including the engineer's notes which show that it is a Thames Water problem. So the encyclopedic claims form was sent to be filled out. And then there is the long wait. What a palaver. Met another person who lost everything to flooding in 2004; he lived next to the station. Thames denied it yet 2 days later the trains couldnt run due to flooding and Thames ended up paying them compensation. He says even if it takes 20 years to get to the bottom of this he will persevere. Good for him.

sara salomonsson ● 5416d