YORK councillors have called on Yorkshire Water to either fix leaks more quickly or repay bills to customers in York.

City of York councillors have claimed that the water company have been taking a while to respond to reports of water outages and leaks in recent weeks.

In colder temperatures, pipes become more prone to bursting and leaking.

Cllr Darryl Smalley and Cllr Andrew Hollyer, have said that the leak in Water Lane, near Clifton Hotel pub, has made the road impassable, and the leak in Rawcliffe Lane, the pedestrian crossing between Malton Way and Fairway, has been there since Wednesday, December 14.

They have also noted that frozen water across the pavement and road in Usher Lane, Haxby, has created dangerous conditions, and the road and verge in Reighton Avenue are awaiting repairs following a leak.

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson: “Extremes of temperatures and large fluctuations in temperatures, which we have seen in recent weeks and are predicted for the coming days can cause significant movement underground, which can cause water pipes to burst.

“As a result of the recent weather conditions we have seen more bursts and leaks than normal.

“We have extra resources out and about at the moment working around the clock to tackle these across the region and they are prioritising repairs to ensure disruption for customers is kept to a minimum.”

However, Cllr Darryl Smalley said: "This is the second time this year residents have endured a serious leak.

"On Water Lane the pavement completely flooded and residents had to brave walking down the middle of the road to get on with their days.

"We're disappointed with the response times from Yorkshire Water, which is far too slow. A company with an annual operating profit in excess of £240 million should have contingency plans in place to deal with cold weather related leaks quickly.

"If serious improvements to response times aren't forthcoming, residents should be expecting a utility bill rebate for the major disruption this winter."

Cllr Andrew Hollyer said: "These leaks come just a couple of weeks after a burst main left tens of thousands of residents without water for several hours, forced five York schools to close for the day and some businesses shut.

"The time quoted to resolve the leak on Usher Lane in Haxby is quoted at 'some point within the next week' - this is a totally unacceptable length of time giving the freezing temperatures.

"We're calling on Yorkshire Water to invest more of the huge profits it is making in basic maintenance, and responding to issues more urgently."

Yorkshire Water have issued advice on how to protect your pipes at home from bursting and leaking this winter. Click here for more.