IT'S water down the drain - again. Residents who watched a trickle of water turn into a pond outside their York homes last month today criticised Yorkshire Water after another leak at the same location.

Contractors were back on Glen Road, Heworth, yesterday, to tackle a burst three-inch main, as locals bought in bottled water and were forced to leave pots unwashed.

Yorkshire Water said the fault was unrelated to the previous leak more than a month ago in a burst 12-inch main 30 metres away. It hit the headlines after water gushed from it for almost two weeks because the company thought it had been fixed.

He said the fault was reported on Tuesday evening when it was too late to safely start work on a road junction. But it was treated as an emergency and fixed by 11.30am yesterday, he said.

A spokesman for the privatised utility said the com pany had not received any complaints this time of people's water supply stopping, although someone had reported low pressure.

However, Phil Stockton of Hawthorn Street said water pressure dropped on Tuesday evening and ran dry the next morning.

"It is unacceptable, considering the way water rates are going up all the time. It has affected everyone in the street."

He said he had to buy bottled water to wash and brush his teeth.

He said: "It took them weeks to repair the first leak. Now it is back to square one. It is a joke."

Glen Road resident Pat Rathmell, who contacted Yorkshire Water several times over the leak in July, said: "I rang again because of what happened before. When I went to bed last night I could hear the water. It has affected my water. When I was having a shower it went cold, then boiling. The water was in the middle of the road this morning. I just saw all the gallons of water we are losing."

Ileana McMeeking, whose daughter lives on Glen Avenue, was also concerned about the water disappearing down the drain.

She said: "It seems such a waste. It is terrible this has happened again. It is a nuisance because it is so close to the bus stop but most of all it is an annoyance because we are all trying to save as much water as possible."

Freda Porter, of Hawthorn Street, said: "I was washing my hair this morning and just managed to get my hair rinsed before the water went off. But I couldn't get the pots washed."

The Yorkshire Water spokesman thanked customers "for their vigilance in reporting the leak as soon as possible to allow us to get to the repair".

Updated: 10:40 Thursday, August 11, 2005