Chester traders ask: Why were new pipes not laid to avoid a leak in Lower Watergate Street?

TRADERS in Lower Watergate Street are frustrated their street has been dug up for the second time this year.

Dee Valley Water says the work was necessary to repair a leaking water pipe.

It meant the road was closed to traffic leaving Chester causing disruption for business owners including The Fat Cat and The Dragonfly Hotel.

The water firm says leaks are unavoidable because of the age of some of the mains. But traders say this is all the more reason why the pipes should have been replaced when the road was dug up for essential gas works earlier this year.

Dave Pearson, owner of Yum Yums sandwich shop, said: “When the thing was dug up why didn’t they put new ones in? It’s commonsense. If they know the pipes are in this state you would have thought preventable medicine would have been cheaper.”

Mr Pearson said the disruption compounded “a very tight trading situation”.

Dee Valley Water MD Norman Holladay said: “Dee Valley Water has had to carry out an essential repair to a leaking water pipe in Lower Watergate Street.

“Leaks are unavoidable with mains of the age of some that we have in Chester. We aim to repair them as quickly as possible to minimise wastage of water although we fully understand the frustration that our work can cause when it affects traffic on a busy road.”