Leak from site bought for HS2 'a waste of money'

Caroline Steed said the leak was first reported in 2022 but nothing had been done

A leak from a pipe on the side of a factory, bought to make way for the scrapped eastern leg of HS2, has been flowing into a drain since 2022.

Furniture upholsterers F&M Steed Ltd in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, were forced to sell the site in Bonsall Street to HS2 Ltd in 2019 and relocate next door.

But in November 2022, their former home sprang a leak into the alleyway which, despite being reported, has not been fixed in almost three years.

HS2 Ltd told the BBC that it was aware of the issue and is investigating the leak - which F&M Steed director Caroline Steed said was "a complete and utter waste of taxpayers' money".

She said: "It's just going to rack and ruin. Nothing's been done with it since 2019.

"I think it's got a lot of water damage, the ceiling's falling in, pigeons flying in and out the roof, and it'll be six years this month since we vacated."

The trickling water has been constant since November 2022

F&M Steed first reported the leak in November 2022 to HS2 Ltd, adding security inspections carried out at the site identified the same issue.

When contacted by the BBC about the leak, it is understood Severn Trent attempted to access the building to stop the water being wasted but was unable to do so.

Roderick Steed, production director at the firm, said: "I think their attitude towards the taxpayers' money is they're just not bothered.

"The amount of water that's flowed out of there in the past 32, 33 months at the taxpayers' cost is astronomical."

Mrs Steed said: "It's just the annoying fact that there's water pouring out of that building all of the time.

"The water doesn't cause us an issue at all, unless the drains get blocked, which we then clear.

"But it's the frustrating fact that that's just a complete and utter waste of taxpayers' money and of the water.

"We've got a heatwave this year and everybody's talking about conserving water and there you go."

The factory next door has to clear the drain to stop it overflowing in the winter

HS2 Ltd did not wish to comment but said it was aware of the leak and was investigating it alongside F&M Steed and Severn Trent.

A Severn Trent spokesperson said its teams had determined the issue "relates to private pipework" and said: "We have provided the customer with the relevant guidance and support to help them carry out the necessary repairs."

As well as the prominent site at the end of the cul-de-sac, a number of houses were also bought up along Bonsall Street in anticipation of HS2 being built - somewhere between a quarter and a third, estimated Mrs Steed.

But the eastern leg of the project linking Birmingham and Leeds was cancelled in 2021.

'Lot of wastage'

One resident who did not move out, Paul Walker, said having an abandoned factory as a neighbour was not ideal.

He said: "It's full of rats. Nothing's moving on at all.

"They were checking for asbestos and said they might pull it down, but that could take years and for what?"

Mrs Steed said: "Don't get me wrong, I wasn't against HS2 - I was against the way it was all handled.

"The complete and utter lack of empathy, interest in people's livelihoods, that's the bit that we're very unhappy with.

"The way it was handled and the billions of pounds that have been spent, there's been a lot of wastage. I suppose that pipe is kind of symptomatic of it."