Anglian Water Services Ltd yesterday launched a High Court claim for more than £1m against contractor Crawshaw Robbins & Co Ltd in a bid to recoup compensation paid to residents of Corby after Crawshaw ruptured a gas main in April 1997.
The incident occurred as the contractor was replacing a water main underneath a playing field of Woodnewton Way Infant and Nursery School.
Stanley Burnton J was told that although the scale and impact of the incident were not immediately apparent, it became clear within hours that about 60,000 gallons of water had been introduced into the gas supply network, cutting gas supplies to around 5,700 houses in the area and affecting one fifth of the population of Corby.
Twenty thousand residents lost their gas supply as a result of the incident. Anglian paid £569,400 to over 5,000 customers whose supply was cut off for five days, and a further £382,000 to others who lost their supply for longer periods.
A significant number of those affected were elderly people living in the poorer parts of the town, who were deprived of heating and hot water and the means of preparing hot food. Some properties and gas appliances suffered damage as a result of water ingress.
At the hearing Crawshaw admitted it was in breach of contract by damaging the gas and water mains, but disputed that it was under a legal liability to Anglian.
The hearing continues.
Anglian Water Services Ltd v Crawshaw Robbins & Co Ltd Queens Bench Division (Stanley Burnton J) 31 October 2000.
Rory Phillips and Sonia Tolaney (instructed by Herbert Smith) appear for the claimant; Timothy Lamb QC and Daniel Crowley (instructed by Williams Davies Meltzer) appear for the defendant.
PLS News 1/11/00
