A PERSHORE woman is in despair because her lounge has been under water for two months.

Mandy Griffiths has been despairing because of a leak in an old mains pipe.

She first noticed water seeping along the side of her home in January and a soak away was constructed on Severn Trent's advice after the firm claimed the source was an underground spring.

"After that we just forgot about it but in July I discovered some damp on the wall of the living room, rising up from the floor," the 46-year-old care worker (seen right) said.

"We took up a floorboard and found all the water running underneath."

All the furniture and floorboards were removed and the water pumped out, but within hours the lounge was flooded again."

Further enquiries established the source was a disused water pipe that had been capped, rather than turned off from the mains.

Mrs Griffiths, a mother of a 14-year-old child, from Avon Road, who is now using a caravan said: "We have been left like this since July and nobody wants to do anything about it. I am really depressed and just want it all to go away."

Severn Trent inspectors have unsuccessfully tried to locate the leak on at least three occasions and environmental health officers were also called in.

"It is an old council pipe which is causing the leak. As it is not a Severn Trent water pipe we do not have any responsibility to repair," said Severn Trent spokesman Gill Turton.

Wychavon's environmental protection manager Geoff Carpenter said the council has no responsibility for this.