A TONGUE-in cheek stunt helped a fed-up villager bring a disruptive leak to Thames Water's attention.

Brian Eastoe was so fed up with lack of action over a leaking manhole, that he began advertising a boat race on the burbling stream of water.

He said water first appeared more than a month ago in Sutton Wick Lane near Abingdon, but the water company initially declined responsibility.

The 83-year-old, who lives in the road in Drayton, put up signs on Friday stating: "Sutton Wick Lane Regatta.

"Entries are invited for the Thames Surplus Water Cup, Sun 5th Nov.

"Boats to be six inches by one inch, brightly coloured. Health and safety insist that all boats have life jackets."

Just days later –on Monday – Thames Water finally fixed the leak, which trickled from a manhole on Drayton Road.

The wood carver added: "[Before it was fixed] you could see the ripples in the flow of water as it turned left and went down Sutton Wick Lane, resulting in a pool of water that stretched almost across the road.

"It was a continuous flow morning noon and night.

"It was breaking up the road into a big pothole."

He said he wanted to 'have a laugh' highlighting the issue, and hoped his signs would help to fast-track action.

Mr Eastoe had already floated two rubber ducks on the pond-like puddle, but believes they were were stolen after they disappeared overnight.

He joked that he had also thought about setting up a diving board above the water, which he estimated to be about a foot deep in the middle.

Noting initial confusion about what caused the leak, he added: "I was even thinking of bottling it and selling it as 'Magic Water from Sutton Wick Lane – no one knows from whence it came'."

He has since struck a cross through the sign to let people know the 'regatta' has been cancelled.

Regarding the delay in repairing the leak, Thames Water spokeswoman Becky Trotman said: "We get lots of leaks reported to us and have to prioritise the order in which we repair them, dealing with those affecting water supplies first."