In article ,
Stuart wrote:
I have been advised by Scottish Water that they have detected a
leak in the mains supply feeding the flats I live in..They say it
is after their stop tap and is ,therefore ,the responsibility of
the owners ..

We live on a clay soil, and a leak in a pipe can
get channelled sideways for quite a distance before
it becomes audible.

A Severn Trent man (with stick-and-cup) declared that
he could hear a water leak on our drive, after their
stop tap. His Absolute Declaration was proved wrong
when closing the stop tap did not send the noise away.

In spite of being bloody well told that their 4"
asbestos main was on the other side of the lane, they
still insisted on starting the JCB on our drive (where
'The Man' had put his yellow cross), only to dig their
way all across the lane, to the leaking 4" asbestos main.

--
Tony Williams.