Social club in jeopardy over £5k water bill dispute

Members of the club have said they would be "devastated" if it closed

Members of a 103-year-old social club have said they will be forced to close it down if they have to pay a water bill backdated eight years.

The Old Mill Club in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, said it discovered in 2017 it was paying double for its annual water usage.

Since then the club and supplier Water Plus have been in dispute, with the debt eventually reaching over £10,000.

In January, the water company updated the bill and cut it to £5,096, but the club has continued to dispute the amount, claiming it is inaccurate because it is partly based on estimated readings.

The problems with the water supply stem from 2011, when the club sold part of the land, which is currently used by a Koi carp seller.

Both customers continue to be supplied by the original water pipe, although a sub-pipe branches off to feed the Koi company before the main pipe reaches the social club.

While the Koi property's water meter sits on its branching pipe, the club's meter is situated on the main pipe before the branch, meaning for years it had been charged for the whole supply.

The club has about 200 members

Although the club has paid some money to Water Plus over the years, it refused to pay the full bill "on principle" because it said the company and Severn Trent had failed to address the issue.

However, Severn Trent said it had previously informed the social club that work needed to be carried out to split the main supply.

It is not clear why the meter could not be moved further down the pipe so it recorded only the water supplying the social club, but Severn Trent said engineers had advised that splitting the pipe was the correct method.

A spokesperson said: "Our records show that the customer was informed on seven separate occasions during a three-year period that they would need to apply to install a new connection and undertake works to split their supply.

"Because no application was made, the meter recorded all water that passed through the supply pipe, regardless of which property was using it.

"Changes to the water pipes and any maintenance within a property boundary are the responsibility of the occupier or landowner.

"Water Plus has requested a number of supply checks and site visits since 2018, and on each occasion our engineers confirmed that the supply still needed to be separated by the customer."

The current social club committee, which said it was not involved in the 2011 sale, said an application to split the pipe would now be difficult because the land was no longer under one owner.

In October, Severn Trent reclassified the Koi business's meter as a "sub meter" , which allowed Water Plus to calculate the new, lower bill by subtracting the meter reading from the Koi business from the reading on the main pipe.

Severn Trent said that although this was not the proper solution, it was done in a bid to reach resolution.

Ms Hattersley said the club allowed her to meet new people from different generations

But the club said it was unhappy with the new amount because calculations of how much water was used over the years were partly based on estimates, according to the bills it had received.

Abigail Jackson, committee member, said the club had been "completely closed" during the pandemic - and this should have been reflected in the bill.

"All the way through this, we have stated we will pay once you can prove what you're asking for."

The club said it had been given a 12-month deadline to pay the debt.

"If we are forced to pay this bill, which there is no proof we owe, we would most likely have to close," Ms Jackson said.

Zulekah Hattersley has been visiting the club since she was a toddler, and now aged 27 she brings her own child to the club.

She said that growing up with the social club had provided her with a strong sense of belonging and family.

"I've got people that aren't aunties that I call auntie in here," she said.

If the Old Mill had to close, she said the impact would be "horrible" for herself and for the other regulars.

"We're not what you expect from a working man's club. I've made long-lasting friends down here. It's a brilliant environment for all kinds of people, and we just want to be inclusive."

She said the club had been fighting for survival for years, and described the water bill dispute as a "big grey cloud" over the heads of committee members and trustees.

As for Ms Jackson, she said the Old Mill came into her life when she was in "a very dark place", and that it was the only place she felt safe.

"This place also has a lot of history, and the mill building itself has been here for hundreds and hundreds of years, so not only would you lose the club, you would be losing something that has been part of this area for hundreds of years."

The club's name comes from its former role as a mill on the banks of the River Erewash

A spokesperson for Water Plus said the company had been working closely with the management committee at the Old Mill Social Club.

It said the updated charges for the social club had "significantly reduced the water costs and bills".

"The current amount owed is for water supplied for the Old Mill Social Club itself, after charging could be divided and updated after a sub-meter was installed by the wholesaler Severn Trent, and we've shared information around spreading payments, to help the social club.

"Our teams remain here to help with setting up a payment plan to cover the monthly costs and the amount owed."

Update 21 July: This article has been amended to explain in more detail how water is supplied to the social club.