MILLIONS of litres of water have been poured down the drain in Richmond after a three-month water leak has seen water cascading under the foundations of a home in the town.

Dave Dalton and Julie Martin, from Swale Cottage in Station Road, Richmond, said they are in fear for their property after watching water gush through an external pipe which runs under their home.

They said despite the dry conditions of the last month, their garden has been sodden because of the run-off from the leak, which they have been told by Yorkshire Water is coming from a leak in or near the nearby Frenchgate Hotel.

Mr Dalton said: "On April 28 we notified Yorkshire Water of a water leak affecting our house and garden. Within a few days they had identified that the cause was a leak in or near the hotel, close to the location of a previous leak that also affected us.

"We had been away and when we got back the first thing we noticed was the water gushing out.

"Yorkshire Water told us that the leak was running at 100 litres a minute.

"Despite many promises and assurances, the leak is still running."

Mr Dalton said the water is running under the foundations of their house, which is causing concern about how it will affect its stability.

He added: "There is a damp patch in our basement, and we don't know if it will be fixed when the leak stops.

"In the 13 weeks since we notified Yorkshire Water about the leak, 13,104,000 litres of water have been wasted. With the lack of water around and hosepipe bans in place, wasting water in this way is terrible and we feel powerless.

"We have run out of patience and made a formal complaint to Yorkshire Water."

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said: “We have carried out a detailed and thorough investigation of the water and waste water network in the area and have found a leak close to the Frenchgate Hotel.

"We are working constructively with the owner of the hotel and plan to begin work to repair this leak as quickly as possible.

"Once work is complete we expect the issue with treated water leaking onto Mr Dalton’s property to be resolved.”