Star succeeds where Canute failed
KING Canute could not stop the tide, but the power of The Evening Star stopped the water flowing.Over the past six weeks, the Ship Launch pub, in Cliff Road, Ipswich, has all but set sail on water gushing from a burst pipe.
KING Canute could not stop the tide, but the power of The Evening Star stopped the water flowing.
Over the past six weeks, the Ship Launch pub, in Cliff Road, Ipswich, has all but set sail on water gushing from a burst pipe.
The landlords have been tearing their hair out trying to get Anglia Water to mop up.
But engineers miraculously appeared on the scene after just a quick call from The Evening Star offices.
A spokeswoman for the water company said there was no record of contact with the pub, but promised to look into the matter.
And the leak dried up less than 24 hours later.
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Manager Sue Irvine, 39, said: "I'm annoyed they won't do anything without the threat of a newspaper story.
"Just like I told them on the phone, it only took about two minutes to look at the problem."
The problem came to light when Mrs Irvine discovered water flooding out from below the curb and into the road outside the pub.
She contacted Anglian Water to report the leak and was assured someone would look into it.
But four wet weeks passed, and no one from the company turned up.
Pub landlord Reginald Hawkins, 44, then contacted Anglian Water to check the state of play.
He was told there were no record of the problem.
Mrs Irvine then rang again to report the pub's meter spinning wildly. Anglian Water said it was not its problem and refused to come out.
The incident took a new twist when Anglian Water threatened to issue the pub with a Waste Water Notice.
Mr. Hawkins rang The Evening Star in desperation and it was then that things started to flow.
A engineer called and found a leak between Anglian Water's mains supply and the Ship Launch's service pipe.
The pavement was dug up the next day and the leak mended.
The Anglian Water spokeswoman said the water was not passing through the pub's meter and it was highly unlikely a Waste Water Notice would have been handed out.
She said such notices were usually only issued to large commercial customers and that it was a "lengthy process," involving a visit from a technician and a letter giving fourteen days' notice.
With the leak finally fixed, punters can relax with a pint, safe in the knowledge that the Ship Launch will remain in dock for the foreseeable future.
