A MAN in a village near Bicester is frustrated with Thames Water who has been working outside his home for the past four weeks.

Eric Sheppard, 73, from Piddington, claims that the way they have carried out work is 'laughable'.

Officers were scheduled to complete work on Lower End road by July 27 but as of yesterday afternoon, repairs to stop a leak were still ongoing.

He was originally told that four stop valves were being installed at properties in the area and as a result there would be a leak, however, when the work was finished he claims that the leak was never stopped properly and is causing problems.

Mr Sheppard said: “They dug out a channel in the bank outside our bungalow and in the process removed a large piece of concrete that reinforced the bank by the road as there is no footpath.

“They did not put this back but instead just filled it in with topsoil and seeded it over. Now with the leak and rain all this soil has washed away exposing the pipes.

“It’s a total waste of water besides being an eyesore.”

Yesterday, Mr Sheppard said he received different information from Thames Water workers about the work they plan to carry out and says there is a lack of communication between workers.

Thames Water said in a statement yesterday: “We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused as we replaced a valve which controls the flow of water through the pipes.

“Work of this nature will always cause some disruption but we will finish today and move off site.”

Another resident has also complained to Thames Water about the way it has dealt with the unblocking of a drain in a busy road in Bicester.

The 51-year-old man, who has asked not to be named, says a sewer has been overflowing and leaking onto the pavement and road on Charbridge Lane due to repairs by the water giant.

He said he has seen sewage including toilet paper on the pavement and that Thames Water are not doing their job properly.

He said: “I'm not impressed with how Thames Water has handled this problem. It has been going on since October last year and every time there is heavy rain the drain floods into the road.

“The stench is horrendous and anybody wanting to avoid it going on their shoes take their life into their own hands when they walk into the road.

“They need to bite the bullet, clear that drain and get everything back to normal.”

Water has also been seen spewing into the road from one of the two pumps that has been installed at the site.

Thames Water say after investigation it found the sewer was blocked with wet wipes, cooking oil and other unflushable items. A spokesperson said: “This has now been cleared and we’ll return shortly to fully clean the area."