Desperate homeowner Andy Nutt, who claims he has been waiting a year for Thames Water to repair a faulty stopcock, has taken the matter - and a shovel - into his own hands.

Speaking from a chest-deep hole in his front garden in West End, Launton, near Bicester, welder and lorry driver, Mr Nutt, 54, said he had been left with "no choice" but to deal with it himself, after the company said it was not an urgent matter.

He admitted his decision to dig a 4ft deep hole in his garden was extreme, but said he had pushed to the end of his tether, by Thames Water's unwillingness to help.

He said: "About a year ago, I had a new central heating system fitted, but the plumber couldn't turn off the stopcock inside my house, because it was rusted up. When he went out to turn off the external stopcock, he found that one had also seized up.

"So I phoned Thames Water and asked them to replace it. But they said they couldn't do that, without there being a leak.

"Since then, I have had a major flood in my bathroom, which brought part of my ceiling down and ruined carpets, causing £800 of damage, but the only way I have been able to turn my water off is by getting into the loft, pulling down the stop valve and draining the whole water tank out through the taps "I sent off pictures of the damage to Thames Water, but again, all they would say is it isn't a priority'."

He added: "After being passed from pillar to post, and going through all the complaints procedures, it seems I have only two options.

"One, I ring Thames Water and report an emergency leak. Then they'll give me a six-hour window in which time they'll come and turn off the water and I can then pay a plumber to replace my internal stopcock. But this means I either have to pay to have a plumber on stand-by for six hours, or have one waiting for me to call him.

"Or, and I didn't want to do this, I go out into my garden, dig up my lawn myself to locate the pipe which leads to the stopcock and then pay a plumber to come around to replace it.

"My wife Anne thinks I have taken the most extreme route, but I don't feel I can do anything else.

"As far as they're concerned, Thames Water are fulfilling their obligation in supplying me with water. They don't care, or aren't bothered about helping me at all."

Thames Water spokesman Lee Cowan said the firm understood Mr Nutt's frustration, but that its priorities were repairing leaks and restoring supplies.

"Mr Nutt reported the faulty stop valve to us last September, and it went on a list, to be repaired some time in the future," she said. "We always give up to a six-hour time- scale for emergency visits, although they generally arrive much quicker.

"However, we're pleased to tell you we can get out in the next month to repair Mr Nutt's outside stop valve and will be contacting him to give him a definite time."

Mr Nutt said: "If they do give me a definite time, I'll stop digging."