Water Industry News

Water Leak Sees Card Shop Close Down Permanently

Prioritising water leak detection and repair is essential for businesses of all shapes and sizes, since water damage can cause real problems and prove very costly to fix.

 

Unfortunately, the majority of leaks take place below ground or are so small they’re hard to spot, until you suddenly see a huge spike in your water bills or you start to see signs of seeping water.

 

If left to their own devices, leaks can quickly become very problematic indeed, as the owners of a card shop in Martlesham recently discovered to their detriment.

 

Pamela Gale, owner of Memories Cards and Gifts in Martlesham Heath, explained to the Ipswich Star that she has had to close her business permanently after the site sustained serious damage as a result of a leak that happened during lockdown.

 

People in the office above the shop informed her of the leak in the middle of February, but the flood had brought the ceiling down, waterlogged the carpets and left the fittings damaged.

 

Ms Gale, 64, had worked at the shop for 25 years, including 15 years as the owner of the business, but she is now readying the site for someone else to take it over before taking early retirement herself.

 

In a post on Facebook, she wrote: “With a heavy heart, I have to announce that Memories has closed its doors for good. It has been the most difficult year for all of us and as a non-essential shop, it has hit us hard.

 

“The devastating leak, which has taken all my stock and ruined all the shop fittings, has been the final straw. I just want to thank all of you who have supported us and all the very kind messages we have received. To set the entire business up again is simply too high a mountain to climb. Thank you, everyone.”

 

One of the quickest ways to find out if you have a leak somewhere on your site is to consider switching business water suppliers. When you do this, an audit of your business premises will be carried out to identify any inconsistencies that could have led to you being billed incorrectly – and any spikes in usage uncovered could be indicative of a leak.

 

Ongoing water bill validation can also be particularly useful when it comes to water leak detection, because you’ll be able to see any sudden increases in usage more quickly, allowing you to take immediate action and avoid finding yourself in a similar situation to Ms Gale.

 

Another great benefit of switching suppliers is the very real cost savings you could make as a result. For example, you may be able to see a 30 per cent reduction in the charges for your water supply and wastewater disposal after a water audit has been carried out. If you’d like to find out more, get in touch with SwitchWaterSupplier.com today.