A LOCAL councillor has slammed Yorkshire Water after yet another leak began in Darfield - and it comes just days after it was officially announced there was a drought in the county.

Residents of Darfield are once again facing the inconvenience and frustration of a water leak on the A635 Doncaster Road, close to the Mumbai Lounge restaurant.

This marks the fourth such incident on this stretch of road in the past 18 months, raising serious concerns about the infrastructure and maintenance efforts of Yorkshire Water, according to Coun Kevin Osborne.

The latest leak, which occurred earlier this month, is likely to cause a significant disruption to traffic and local businesses when being repaired, as well as currently wasting a substantial amount of water.

The timing of this leak is particularly ironic and troubling, given the recent declaration of a drought in Yorkshire.

With water conservation measures being urged across the region, the sight of water seeping from the damaged pipe has not only angered residents but also highlighted the urgent need for improved water management and infrastructure maintenance.

Coun Osborne told the Chronicle: “It is unacceptable that we are experiencing yet another water leak on the A635 Doncaster Road. Yorkshire Water must take immediate action to address the underlying issues and prevent further incidents.

“Using a rubber duck to highlight this leak may be high-hearted but frankly it’s a serious issue.

“Our community deserves better, especially during a time when we are being asked to conserve water due to drought conditions.”

The Environment Agency declared that Yorkshire was in ‘drought’ last Thursday, as Yorkshire Water reservoir stocks dropped 0.51 per cent over the last week to 62.3 per cent.

According to the Met Office, spring 2025 was also Yorkshire’s warmest spring for mean temperature since records began in 1884.

The declaration of drought in Yorkshire does not immediately impact customers in the region, and Yorkshire Water will continue its efforts to reduce leakage, manage water resources and continue to help customers reduce demand.

Yorkshire Water bosses have asked residents to use their water wisely, whether it be turning the tap off when you’re brushing your teeth, or even holding off doing your washing until you have a full load.

But despite the drought announcement, the leak is likely to cause serious issues for the firm.

They recently announced they are to invest £16m in reducing leakage from its clean water network this year.

Karen Atkinson, manager of leakage reduction, said: “Reducing the number of leaks in our clean water network is really important to us, and to our customers, as we work towards a future with a secure water supply.

“We’re on track to meet our target of reducing leakage by 15 per cent between 2020 and 2025, but we’re already looking beyond that, and want to reduce it by a further 12.7 per cent by 2030.

“While we have lots of proactive work to do to help us meet our targets and conserve water, customers can also play an important role in water conservation - reporting leaks that they spot in their areas is incredibly valuable to us.

“I’d encourage anyone who spots something that looks like a leak to reach out to us so that we can investigate and resolve it quickly.”