'˜Just one thing after another' for Leighton Buzzard families as health and safety fears mean outdoor tap is disabled by council

In another health and safety move, Central Beds Council decided to remove the outdoor tap for residents of Plum Tree Lane – three weeks after they were told to remove their toys.

“It does feel like one thing after another,” said resident Clare Barton. “We were very angry when we got there on Monday and saw that someone had taken off the top of the tap and replace it with a large screw.

“All the council taps in the area were turned off as they are worried about Legionella.

“Our tap is used all the time – the garages use it to wash their cars, the council fills up their buckets and we use it to fill our outdoor pool. We’re a bit fed up and we want to know what’s going on with our toy situation and the reason they’ve turned off the taps.”

A CBC spokesman said: “Officers inspected the play equipment on the front lawn and discussed storage options with residents on July 9.

“We agreed that we will give residents the keys to the vacant garage in the nearby block to store the toys and smaller equipment at night or when not in use.”

CBC is also researching the cost of storage for larger equipment and the possibility of fencing off part of the lawn for toys. The spokesman added: “In terms of the tap, this was turned off due to safety concerns with the water.

“Although the water comes from the main just like the water in our houses it is not used regularly and the water in the pipes can become stagnant and carry waterborne diseases.

“The tap is not part of the block of flats and the decision to turn it off was not linked to the play equipment discussion, we have turned all taps at our garage block off for this reason. Residents can use the water from their own properties to fill paddling pools.”