Man left waiting after trying to report leak

Yorkshire Water said it had been on site on 9 May to complete a repair in Main Road, Newport

A man says he was left waiting on the phone for nearly an hour after trying to report a burst water main on his street.

John Harrison, 69, was walking his dog at about 19:30 BST in Newport, near Howden, on 8 May when he noticed Main Road flooding.

Mr Harrison said he called Yorkshire Water's 'report a leak' line and was left on hold for 49 minutes.

Yorkshire Water said it "can only apologise" for the frustration the delay may have caused.

Mr Harrison said the burst water main led to him "losing all the pressure" in his property

Sixty-nine-year-old Mr Harrison, who has lived in Newport with his wife since 2007, said the water was "coming out with pressure" and running into Nettle Hill.

"There was thousands and thousands of litres of water escaping. I was really angry.

"We lost all the pressure in our property so were unable to shower.

"I told Yorkshire Water and it was 49 minutes for someone to answer," he said.

Mr Harrison described the hole Yorkshire Water are currently working on in the road as "five-foot deep, six-foot wide".

He added: "What would have happened if the leak got worse and we woke up with no water or anything?

"It's beyond a joke."

Mr Harrison described the hole as "five-foot deep, six-foot wide"

A spokesperson for Yorkshire Water said: "We’ve experienced an unusually high level of calls through the call centre recently and can only apologise for the frustration this delay may have caused the customer.

"Our team have been out on site today at Main Road, Newport to complete a repair. We will be out on site to repair the road surface as soon as possible.

"Responding swiftly and effectively is really important to us and we are sorry for any inconvenience caused."