DUNMOW S entire High Street may have to be dug up in order to fix leaking water pipes. According to local sources, the pipes under Dunmow s main shopping area are old and decaying and the water pressure is now so high that whenever a leak is fixed the wat

DUNMOW'S entire High Street may have to be dug up in order to fix leaking water pipes.

According to local sources, the pipes under Dunmow's main shopping area are old and decaying and the water pressure is now so high that whenever a leak is fixed the water just springs out elsewhere.

Repairs to the High Street's water system have been taking place throughout the summer, but a new leak has popped up in the road outside Barclays Bank.

An ex-plumber who didn't wish to be named claimed that the leaks are a result of "ancient piping" put in place before Dunmow expanded. He said: "The system doesn't seem to be able to cope with the water pressure placed on it. The only way to stop the constant leaking is to dig up the whole lot and start again."

Dunmow County Councillor Susan Barker agreed. "I have been on to the water companies myself and it does seem as if what is happening is once one burst pipe is repaired or worked on another one springs a leak," she said. "The water infrastructure is too weak to deal with the demand, so that would indicate that the whole High Street will need to be dug up, so that pipes can be replaced.

"I have reported the two leaks currently on the High Street along with others and have been told all of them will be repaired this Friday.

"I would urge the public to keep reporting any leaks so that we can keep the pressure on the water company and solve the issue once and for all."

But digging up the High Street would create problems for shopkeepers and traders who rely on the main artery through town for business, and in times of economic downturn, the move would cause yet more unrest.

Concerns over Dunmow's stretched resources also surface in the latest edition of the Town Strategy Document, put together by a working party with the assistance of a professional town planner, to highlight and help address issues in the town before 2020.

The document states: "Water supplies are already stretched. There are water shortages in some areas."

The Three Valleys website indicates that no work is currently scheduled to be carried out in the High Street, but the company did thank the Broadcast for bringing the leaks to their attention. As the Broadcast went to press no times had been set for any repairs to take place.