Cheriton villagers including a 94-year-old are facing a 'living nightmare' after six weeks without water

Those were the words of Kennedy Goddard, a resident near Cheriton who has been without running water for almost six weeks.

Hockley Cottages were originally supplied by nearby Holden Farm, but were cut off on October 31.

Mr Goddard says two of the four cottages remain without running water.

The 56-year-old said it has been a “living nightmare” and he has spent £30,000 installing private boreholes.

The first, which was installed in November, was contaminated. The second is currently being tested by Environmental Health to see if the water is safe to drink.

“It is easy to be cross but the reality is it becomes soul destroying when you buy a house and spend a lot of money renovating it,” he said.

“You start to blame yourself. There's nowhere I can go for help. We are just trying to make the best of a bad deal.”

He and his wife Lyn say they were served no official notice of the cut off, and have been using bottled water since.

Cottages on the A272 near Cheriton

Their neighbours, Kathleen and Michael Beer, and Kathleen's 94-year-old mother, May, are also without water, says Mr Goddard.

Once completed, the two cottages will share the new borehole.

Mr Goddard said: “Being 96 and coming up to Christmas and you can't even flush your loo is disgraceful.”

As previously reported Susie Corbett, who runs Holden Farm with husband Charlie, said she did 'all she could' prior to the switch off.

In November she said: “I was told that the cottages' boreholes were all up and running.

“A private water supply does not have to supply other private people. Those private people have been given six months to get their (own) water supply.”

When asked for further comment this week Mrs Corbett said: “As far as we know and the Environmental Health officers have confirmed, all the cottages have water and were never actually without. The issue, we have been told, has been that the water has not been tested.

94-year-old May North is one of the villagers who has been left without water for weeks

“For those who have not had their own private supply before this has become a worry for them. It is not a worry for Environmental Health as the source of the water round here is very pure and used to be bottled as Hazeley Water once upon a time.”

Winchester City Council previously said it was investigating.

A spokesman this week said: “Regrettably there is now a civil dispute between these properties and the borehole company, which does not involve Winchester City Council.

“The council understands that there is now a sufficient water supply to both properties but there are outstanding issues relating to water quality which can be resolved if a more conciliatory approach is adopted by both parties.

“The council would urge them to do so in order to restore confidence in their own water supply. The council issued the properties with a 'boil water' advisory letter which applies until such time as the water is deemed safe after passing any bacteriological tests.”