Caversham trader frustration over Thames Water compensation

The sewer pipe collapsed on Church Street in June and took more than two weeks to repair

A business owner has said he is still waiting for compensation from Thames Water from a road closure in June.

Church Street in Caversham, Reading, was shut so work could be carried out to repair a collapsed sewer.

Chris Walton, owner of Walton Jewellers, said he put in a claim but the company offered him a much smaller sum in response.

Thames Water apologised to residents for the disruption, and said it was in the process of dealing with enquiries.

The road was shut on 5 June for more than two weeks, with tankers brought in so residents could still flush their toilets.

Thames Water said there were delays because of the location of the broken pipe, which required more time to dig down to than first anticipated.

Mr Walton told the BBC: "Thames Water with the help of Reading Borough Council put in a road system to make people avoid Caversham.

"There were severe traffic issues getting to car parks, and bus routes had to be changed. The lack of passing trade made it the same as another Lockdown."

'Overwhelming'

Mr Walton said after he handed back the seven-page claim form, with about 50 pages of attached documentation, the company offered him compensation far below his estimations, and he refused it.

He said he had not heard from the company since.

"The worst thing about this is they dangled the carrot right at the start for traders to try and get compensation... what was the point?" he added.

Claire Anderton-Bell, owner of new business Nood Stores, said the claim form was "just so totally overwhelming".

"Repairs did need to be done or sewage would have been all over the streets, but we've just written it off," she said.

A Thames Water spokesperson said: "We will always aim to keep disruption to a minimum.  

"We will also continue to work alongside the local authority when planning upgrades and responding to urgent repairs.  

"In response to recent incidents, Thames Water representatives have contacted local businesses advising them how to apply for a loss of business claim and will respond to each enquiry directly."

Reading Borough Council said it appreciated the "obvious inconvenience".

But it said sometimes disruption was "unavoidable and out of our hands" as utility companies had statutory rights to carry out work on their own infrastructure.

It added: "The disruption caused by utility providers, and particularly the lack of proactive maintenance, is of much concern to the council, and the strategic environment, planning and transport committee recently challenged and questioned Thames Water in public over this."

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