Thames Water is finally fixing a punctured water main which has been spewing water out of a dangerously deep pothole for three whole months.

The move to mend the pipes in Lea Bridge Road came just days after the water company was prosecuted in for causing unnecessary disruption to road users just around the corner in Lower Clapton Road.

Lower Clapton resident Kriss Lee claims this is at least the fourth time that there has been a leak in Lea Bridge Road since the Victorian water pipes were replaced by plastic ones xxx.

“This recent leak was absolutely mental,” he said, adding it was “disgraceful” of Thames Water to ignore residents’ complaints for so long.

“It’s a punctured water main so it should be a priority otherwise you lose gallons and gallons of water on a daily basis, and the water companies are always claiming there’s a shortage” he said.

“The hole was nearly a foot deep so when you drove out you were liable to lose a tyre, you had to take a wide berth to avoid the water and risked crashing with cars on the other side of the road.

“The bus stop was unusable due to the splashing of passing vehicles, it was mud-streaked and drenched even on a sunny day.”

Meanwhile, Transport for London (TfL) prosecuted Thames Water last Wednesday for a succession of roadwork offences across the capital, as part of its London’s Lane Rental Scheme which was introduced last June to discourage utility companies digging up busy roads at peak traffic times.

Westminster Magistrate’s Court fined Thames Water £13,600, following a guilty plea to nine offences across the capital, including a fine of £3,200 for an incident in Upper Clapton Road for breach of permit conditions and a failure to notify offence which cost the water company £3,200.

Garrett Emmerson, chief operating officer for surface transport at TfL, said: “We are pleased that the court has recognised just how serious it is when utility companies cause unnecessary delays to road users.”

A spokesman for Thames Water said the repair job in Lea Bridge Road was “complicated” and “required careful planning and testing”.

It required careful planning and testing, which has not been ignored.

The leak is on a six-inch water pipe which feeds off a large 36-inch pipe.

We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused, but simply shutting it off to do the repair without a robust plan would have left thousands of homes without water.”

“Since these regrettable incidents we’ve made a big effort to improve, and are working hard to make sure our works have as little impact as possible on customers.”