Angry Preston tower block residents left without water for days

Tower block residents are demanding action after suffering an intermittent water supply for days.
Amanda Yates and son Mark Galazka have been without water since Sunday at their flat in Sandown Court on Avenham LaneAmanda Yates and son Mark Galazka have been without water since Sunday at their flat in Sandown Court on Avenham Lane
Amanda Yates and son Mark Galazka have been without water since Sunday at their flat in Sandown Court on Avenham Lane

A power cut in the early hours of Sunday caused a fault with the water tank of Sandown Court in Avenham Lane, Preston, and problems are still ongoing.

Residents claim they have been unable to wash or flush toilets properly since Sunday morning, only getting a minute of running water every four or five hours.

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But a spokesman for the management company said claims were untrue, and although sometimes temporarily unavailable for technical reasons, there was running water during peak times.

Mark Galazka, 43, who lives in the block with his mum Mandy Yates, said that wasn’t his experience.

He said: “We can’t wash up, can’t have a shower, can’t flush the toilet - it’s disgusting. My mum can’t even wash her hair to go to work and it’s getting her down.

“I’ve been sleeping with the windows open in the freezing cold, because I’d rather that than breathe in germs from everyone’s toilets.

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“There’s old people here, babies, and when health visitors and nurses come, how are they washing their hands?”

The water was not running when the Evening Post visited the property yesterday and Mark claims he has been told the problem could continue for some time.

He said: “If we’d have known that it wasn’t going to be fixed on Monday, we’d have gone out and got some water supplies.

“But I’d have thought that the management company would have brought some round anyway. They haven’t and we’ve not had any real communication.”

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A spokesman for the management company said: “A power cut caused a fault in the water tank, we did a temporary fix on Sunday, but the water has to go off at certain times so that the pumps don’t burn out.

“It may go off for an hour, but the water is running at peak times.

“It’s not true that people can’t run their taps or flush their toilets.

“We’re working hard to get this fixed very soon.”

United Utilities said the problem had not been reported to them.