Suspected water thief leaves Suffolk village dry Published duration 25 July 2010

A water company is trying to trace a thief it believes is tapping into a Suffolk village's supply leaving residents high and dry without warning.

Anglian Water has been called in by residents at Ingham after complaints that showers and taps suddenly run dry for up to 45 minutes at a time.

The parish council said the problem had been going on for several weeks.

Some residents have called out plumbers after the sudden drop then rise in pressure affected their combi boilers.

Others have complained about dirty water when the supply returns.

"I was watering my tomato plants and halfway through it just stopped," said parish council vice-chairman Keith Boswell.

Many people in the village had contacted Anglian Water and were disappointed that nobody from the company attended a parish council meeting last week to discuss the problem, he said.

Fire hydrant suspected

The company is due to meet some residents next week.

"We have only 150 houses in a small village and really we are not big enough to be annoying," he said.

Mr Boswell said he was curious about Anglian Water's claim that someone was stealing large quantities of water.

"The fire brigade takes water from the same main and it has no effect," he said.

An Anglian Water spokesman said the firm was staying in touch with residents while it investigated the source of the problem and would speak to them next week to discuss their concerns.

"Due to the intermittent nature of the supply disruptions, it is our belief that a large amount of water is being taken directly, and illegally, from our water network.

"This could be from a fire hydrant, for instance," he said.

"We will continue to investigate this and will take the appropriate action to ensure our customers' supply is not interrupted. This is our priority."