Over 100 people living in a student accommodation building in Glasgow city centre have been left without running water, flushing toilets, and showers for five days due to an issue with the plumbing.
Tenants living in £650-a-month studio apartments at Robert Owen House on Bath Street have been forced to use portaloos and fill bottles of water up at local pubs due to their water supply being switched off. Despite four separate visits by an engineer contracted by owners Xenia Estates, the issue is yet to be solved.
Problems with the water supply were first noticed on Thursday morning with residents unable to get running water from their taps. A burst pipe was then discovered in the basement of the building, causing flooding and leading to the water supply being temporarily turned off.
Read more: Five hour wait outside Glasgow hospital for woman with suspected heart attack
By the time an engineer visited the building on Friday, tenants reported every toilet in the building being full of waste. It was concluded a 'specialist part' was needed to fix the pipe but the water could be put back on.
Just hours later, another section of the pipe burst forcing the water to be turned off once again.
Tenants say they were unable to get hold of any of the on-site accommodation team that owners advertise as being 'on hand to offer support and help' while the problem persisted over the weekend.
James Price, a tenant in the building, told Glasgow Live: "When the pipe burst for a second time on Friday, it ended up flooding the basement and left it two feet deep in water. The maintenance guy who came to switch the water off again told us that the water would just be left to absorb into the concrete.
"The smell has left the stairwell stinking of sewage because it wasn't drained until Monday.
"After 4pm on Friday, the people in charge of the building didn't reply to any of our messages and we've only been getting vague updates on what's going on.
"We were told we'd have bottles of water delivered to us which hasn't happened. We can't wash our dishes, clean our flats or wash our clothes.
"I've had to get water from the pub next door and many people have been spending money on gym access in order to have a shower."
Xenia Estates confirmed that an engineer had been back out to assess the problem on Saturday and would be returning on Monday with the specialist parts needed to fix the pipe. In the meantime, they arranged for portaloos to be delivered to the site.
A plumber then re-attended on Monday afternoon and again it was concluded that they would need more 'additional parts' to fix the issue and that the water would have to remain off into Tuesday.
James added: "The Portaloos are down an alley, directly next to the bins, which can be intimidating as there's no lighting. There's also a tenant with a broken leg so she can't even access them.
"The whole situation has been really stressful, especially having to go without a shower, while the owners and staff members can go back to their own homes where there's heating and hot water. The landlord clearly doesn't care about us and neither do the people who work here."
A spokesperson for Xenia Estates said: “On Thursday afternoon, a pipe within the basement of Robert Owen House burst and caused a loss of water to the property. We immediately communicated this to tenants and advised that a contractor would attend the site urgently.
"Plumbers attended the site and worked throughout Friday to fix the cause of the burst pipe. On Friday evening, another section of pipe burst which then resulted in the water supply to Robert Owen House being turned off. Xenia Estates arranged for Portaloos to be delivered on Saturday and also advised tenants that any bottled water they purchased would be fully reimbursed.
"The portaloos remained in situ over the weekend and are still available for tenants to use now.
"Contractors remained on site throughout the weekend working to resolve the issue, however, due to specialist parts being required a full fix could not be carried out until these parts arrived.
"We are expecting the parts to be delivered and fitted on Tuesday at which time the water to the property can be fully reinstated.
"This evening, bottles of water have been delivered to the building for tenants use.
"Xenia Estates apologise for any distress caused to the tenants. We would like to stress that the issue remains a priority and we are confident that the issue will be permanently resolved once the specialist parts have been delivered."
READ NEXT -
Renfrewshire crash leaves man dead and another in a serious condition in hospital
Glasgow mum and son in hammer attack on neighbours in row over money
Lorry driver death during raging storm on M74 to be probed at inquiry
Glasgow puppy giveaway as dog lovers bid to share Christmas joy
Scottish Power to axe 150 Glasgow jobs days before Christmas
