Residents at a retirement complex in Bournemouth have been left without water for the past five days due to an extensive water leak.

A group of 25 pensioners living at Leonard Hackett Court on St Winifreds Road have had to go without mains water since June 3 after a leak was discovered in the basement parking area.

Whilst the leak is being fixed, pensioners have been told they can fetch water from an outside tap situated in the building’s basement to water plants and flush their toilets.

Michael Webb, a resident at the retirement home, said: “On Tuesday June 1, the estate manager was informed about a water issue within the building.

“The next day the water pressure in the building was getting low, and one of the residents had discovered a water leak in the basement parking area, where the mains water supply for the property is situated.

“By Thursday June 3, the water pressure was so low in the morning, basically no water was coming out of the taps.

“The property has an estate manager who only works on a Monday from 9am to 4pm at the property. I sent her a text to telling her the situation, saying is it now an emergency, and she must contact Bournemouth Water as it has now become a serious incident.”

The flats, which are privately owned by the residents and set over four floors, are managed and run by Anchor Hanover.

A representative from Bournemouth Water was called to the property on June 3 but said that, as the leak was on site, it is the developer’s problem.

Later that same afternoon the estate manager and another resident drove to a local supermarket to buy drinking water for the residents. Each flat was given five large bottles of water.

A large number of the people living at the property, including one wheelchair user, who are aged between 60 to over 90 years old, suffer from serious medical conditions and mobility problems.

Mr Webb added: “The estate manager said that we had been given bottled water, and that the flats in the other building were not affected because that building had a separate mains water supply.

“Bear in mind these residents are old and frail, some can hardly walk without frames or sticks, and are being asked to carry buckets of water upstairs or in the lift.

“She then reminded me ‘I don't work again until Monday’. By this time, the residents had no running water, given five bottles of water and left to fend for themselves. No showers, no hot water, no washing machine, and if you had no bucket to bring water, no toilet, and we are classed as elderly vulnerable people.”

On Friday June 4, a contractor from Kent arrived at the block of flats having driven for three hours.

Having dug several holes in the car park, he said the leak is under the building, and would require specialist contractors to irradicate the problem.

The area manager for Leonard Hackett Court Diane Brown has contacted residents apologising for the situation and arrived at the complex at midday on Monday June 7 with a structural engineer to access the damage caused by the leak.

Mrs Brown said: “As soon as we were made aware of the matter, we took immediate action to address the water leak.

“We are doing everything possible to support residents while the maintenance work is being carried out, we are providing them with bottled water and working with the local community to ensure water containers are available on each floor to supply additional water.

“Affected residents were also offered alternative accommodation. A temporary solution to ensure residents have running water is being organised whilst the repair continues.

"We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused and continue to support residents whose wellbeing remains our highest priority.”