East Street Mills: Leeds apartment residents say they feel 'abandoned' after being left without running water for a week
Leeds apartment complex residents say they feel “abandoned” after being left without running water for more than a week.
Those living at the East Street Mills development, near Leeds city centre, have reported a series of ongoing water outages, which one resident estimates affects up to 300 residents.
The disruption, which was first acknowledged on May 27, has left homes in five blocks - Weavers House, Worsted House, Shearers House, Spindle House and The Loom House - without reliable access to water.
While management company Resident Managers Group (RMG) initially said the issue would be resolved within hours, residents have been told the supply may not return until at least today (June 5).
Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, one resident said: “Last week, there was no water at all, and now we’ve been told it won't return until at least Thursday. Contractors on site have informed us that the issue is much larger than what we have been told and could take even longer to resolve.”
Residents say the water outages have lasted for several days.
The latest disruption comes less than a year after neighbouring development Saxton Apartments, which is also managed by RMG, experienced similar issues.
Craig Dawson, who lives in one of the affected buildings, said residents felt “abandoned”.
“What’s especially worrying is that this isn’t an isolated incident. RMG has already come under fire for a similar issue at a neighbouring development, where residents went three weeks without usable water. It’s beginning to feel like a pattern of neglect.
“We’ve spoken to Yorkshire Water and the council. Yorkshire Water confirmed the mains supply is fine and the building has good pressure, meaning the issue lies within the building and is clearly RMG’s responsibility.”
Although bottled water is being provided, Mr Dawson said this is “simply not enough” for many families in the building - including NHS staff, remote workers, residents with disabilities and those with young children.
In a statement issued on Thursday (June 5), RMG apologised for the “disruption and distress” caused by the outage and said restoring a reliable water supply “is our top priority.”
A spokesperson for RMG said: “The disruption began as part of a planned maintenance repair to address a pre-existing leak, with water outages scheduled and communicated in advance for Tuesday 27 May.
“Unfortunately, once the supply was reinstated, additional leaks were discovered. The affected pipe is a mains water pipe and must be completely watertight before service can resume.
“We are currently undertaking the repairs and expect full water service to be restored by Thursday 5 June. We have appointed a highly experienced contractor, one who has previously supported RMG with similar complex repairs, to carry out the necessary work.”
The company added that RMG staff would remain on-site to assist residents until the water was fully restored, and that regular updates are being shared via its ‘RMG Living Portal’. A 24/7 customer service centre has been made available for residents for urgent concerns.