Water ‘leak’ trickling down Lincoln road for a decade

A city resident is looking on the bright side of a water leak that’s been going on for years, saying at least birds enjoy taking baths in the potholes it makes.

The water has been bubbling up from a natural spring beneath Thomas Street in Lincoln for at least a decade.

A councillor claims it’s creating dangerous road conditions, and isn’t an isolated case in the area around the Arboretum.

However, Lincolnshire County Council say it’s impossible to stop springs from appearing, and the road has recently undergone repairs for the damage.

Nicola, who has lived on the street for two years, said: “It’s been going on for as long as I’ve lived here. It’s pretty bad – there’s a constant stream of water down the road, and we’re in the middle of a drought.

“The council say it’s the water company’s job, the water company says it’s the council’s job.

“Workmen have been out at least three times to try and fix it, but obviously they’ve not had any luck. At least the birds like to take a bath in the potholes, which is one upside!”

The leak has been going on for years, according to a local councillor | Photo: LDRS/The Lincolnite

Anglian Water said the water comes from a natural spring beneath Monks Road. They have surveyed the area many times and found no indication of a water leak.

Liberal Democrat Abbey ward Councillor Martin Christopher said: “It’s been an ongoing problem for at least ten years.

“It’s causing damage to cars, looking unsightly, and creating a risk in winter when it freezes and turns into sheet ice.

“It’s not an isolated case – there are springs all along the hillside where the limestone ridge is putting pressure on underground water. Bernard Street has similar problems.

“We need to come up with a better method of dealing with them than putting patch on top of patch, which are constantly leaking.”

A resident says birds enjoy the potholes the water makes | Photo: LDRS/The Lincolnite

Lincolnshire County Council say their hands are tied when it comes to stopping springs, and they can only react to them.

A council spokesperson said: “We believe that this is a natural spring. Unfortunately, there’s not a great deal we can do other than catch it in the next gully down the road.

“As it’s a built-up kerbed area, there is no other way to redirect it. The road underwent repairs earlier in the year with some more carried out earlier this month.

“With springs, we can’t stop them, only divert the flow. As they naturally move where they emerge, it may be something we have to keep reacting to as we can’t really prevent it from coming up in the first place. If it settles in one place, we may put an extra gully in to catch it earlier, but this won’t stop the damage where it emerges.”