A WEYMOUTH guesthouse owner was shocked when a search for a leaking pipe revealed a feeder pipe supplying water to two other properties at his expense.

Craig Willis, of Wilton Guesthouse in Gloucester Street, is thousands of pounds out of pocket because for the past three years Wessex Water has been charging him for two other properties as well as his own guesthouse.

Mr Willis has been running the business with his wife Claire for the past five years.

Three years ago his water bill went up from £35 to £160 a month when the tariff was put on a meter.

He said: “It was a massive jump but I thought it was because we had been put on a meter.

“Then a bill came through for over £2,000 and alarm bells went off.

“I contacted Wessex Water and they said I probably had a leak and that it was my responsibility to sort it out.

“When we took the flooring up we found out our supply had been feeding two flats further down the street.”

The flat owners have also been paying their own bills so the water company has been paid twice.

Mr Willis, aged 40, said: “It cost me £3,000 to replace the flooring in the first place and the guesthouse had to be closed while the work was done, which cost another £1,500.

“Wessex Water are being very blasé about it all, saying we provide the water to your property, anything else is your fault.

“But it’s not my fault if the pipe has been supplying two other flats.”

He added: “I feel it’s a bit negligent on their part and now they’re dragging their feet.

“I think Wessex Water should know where their water is going.”

Jude Shepherd, who lives in one of the flats, said the situation was a nightmare.

She said: “When I first found out I went into shock for a bit, it’s just horrendous.

“It’s bizarre that my water comes from two doors down the street when the other flats in the building are plumbed straight in from the mains.

“One day I just had no water and it lasted for two and a half days.

“When I called Wessex Water they couldn’t work out what was happening, they came out and checked the supply to the building and said there was no problem but I still had nothing coming out my taps. It’s been such a nightmare, you just think of water as a fundamental basic.

“My flat is going to have to be re-plumbed and my floors and kitchen will have to be taken up.”

‘PROACTIVE CHECKS INDENTIFIED PIPE PROBLEM’

A spokesman from Wessex Water said: “Internal plumbing arrangements of the properties meant that two flats were being supplied water via Mr Willis’s guesthouse.

“While internal plumbing is the responsibility of customers, it was through us proactively checking water consumption that we noticed the guesthouse was using a lot of water caused by an internal leak and the fact the two flats were being fed from the guesthouse’s supply.

“We are in regular contact with Mr Willis to discuss how best to resolve the matter and this may involve refunding any overpayments incurred.”

Wessex Water said it urged customers to regularly read their meter to ensure any leaks within the home are quickly identified.

It added that while it would normally repair any leaks on the customer’s external supply pipe free of charge, it was the homeowner’s responsibility to fix leaks within the home.