Mum hit with whopping £63,000 water bill after 'nightmare' six-month leak
15.09.2023 - 15:25
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
A mum racked up a whopping five-figure water bill due to a leak that took six months to fix. Chantelle Osman has told of the "absolute nightmare" of watching the amount surge to £63,500 as she feared the damage the leak would cause to her home.
Chantelle, who lives in a flat in Exeter with her toddler, was left stunned when she was given a water bill asking her to pay £22,243.71. She raised the shock charge right away and South West Water recorded it as a leak.
But the water company couldn't repair the issue as the housing association is responsible for maintenance. Stonewater sent out a number of contractors over a period of six months, with each of them struggling to find the source of the leak, Devon Live reports.
All the while, Chantelle's bill was rising every day, leaving the 26-year-old worried about potential damage to her home. She said: "I got a letter of £22,000 from South West Water and then I went to Citizens Advice who got in contact with someone from South West Water and then they raised a leak.
"I got another bill through in August for £44,000 and then they booked for contractors to come out on September 12. They're trying to figure out where it's coming from and even they said they've never seen a water bill that high. It is now £63,000.
"At first they thought it was coming from the car park because there's loads of grass growing there. In front of the house, I've got flowerbeds and he said it was just dripping with water. But now they've just dug out all the flowerbeds and they don't think it is there."
Chantelle said that having such a huge debt hanging over her has been "really stressful" - on top of her worries about further issues the leak may cause. Chantelle said: "It's really stressing me out because