A summer water crisis may loom but a leaking pipe has spewed out almost 100,000 litres a day for seven months -- and no-one would fix it.

Dr Graham Williams by the leaking pipe

It is estimated that more than 20 million litres of water -- worth £17,700 -- have run away since the leak in Westcot Lane, Sparsholt, near Wantage, was discovered last June but a row over its ownership has drowned work to repair it.

But until the Oxford Mail got involved, both Thames Water and householders living near by were at loggerheads over who was responsible.

The company said that despite repairing the 1.5-mile long pipe numerous times, new evidence showed it belonged to the eight neighbouring house- holds.

The residents rejected that and claimed Thames Water should replace the old and corroded pipe.

Yesterday, after inquiries from the Mail, Thames Water spokesman Andrew Boyd said it had relented and would plug the hole.

As the protracted dispute dragged on, neighbours became increasingly annoyed by the amount of water running away as the company asked customers to be thrifty after one of the driest years on record. Dr Graham Williams, who lives in Westcot Lane, said one engineer estimated 90,000 litres a day were draining away.

Dr Williams yesterday thanked the Oxford Mail for highlighting the case.

Of Thames Water's decision he said: "It's fantastic news. We're very pleased -- we hope they make good their word and change the whole of the pipe, not just do bodged jobs."

When first contacted by the Mail, Mr Boyd said recently discovered evidence showed that the pipe did not belong to the firm.

He said: "I can't give an explanation as to why Thames Water has only noticed this now. "It is a significant leak to repair. Someone has just checked the records and found it is not our leak to repair.

"The fact it is leaking lots and lots each day does not look good when we are asking people to save water, but there is an important legal issue at stake which we simply cannot ignore."

Yesterday, however, he said: "We are taking responsibility for the pipe from now on.

"Basically, we have seen documentation from the residents that has persuaded us that from now on we should take responsibility for the pipe.

"We have agreed that it is sensible to accept respons- ibility."

He said it was too early to say if the company would be replacing the whole of the pipe.