There's growing frustration among residents in a West Auckland street who have been left without running water for much of this week.
Lavelle Road properties spent much of this week without water, as Watercare struggles to fix issues to its aging pipes infrastructure.
Vanessa Blewden told 1 NEWS that while there had been a spate of smaller incidents in the past, nothing compared to the issues they've had to deal with recently.
"I never gave it much attention because they were isolated incidents but since last week, it's almost everyday."
It's been four days, and while supply is back today, she says it's a ticking time bomb with the pipe likely to burst again at any moment.
"Everyday the same old pipe is exploding in a different point very close to each other.
"What basically happened is the pipes are too old and they keep trying to put lipstick on a pig."
Watercare has been out on the street for the past several days attempting to patch the pipe, but they were still working to find the root case of the burst.
"Nearby properties may experience low to no water pressure until the repairs are complete," they said on Facebook earlier this week.
A Watercare spokesperson also told Blewden the issue had been "immediately escalated" as they continue investigating.
"The senior engineer is now there with the crew to ascertain the cause of the faults, as there have been four episodes this week."
A water tanker has also been set up on the side of Lavelle Road, with fresh bottles of water being dished out to residents affected.
For now, Blewden is having to rely on friends for showers but she worries other residents may not be as lucky as they struggle to make do.
"I'm going to take a shower at my friend's house everyday but you know, some people just can't. An old lady, 96-years-old, is living here in my neighbourhood for example. What can she do?"
The ongoing works are also causing headaches for commuters, as parts of the road are having to be ripped up to allow access to the damage sections of the pipe.
"The road there is really bad for drivers, because everyday now they open up a new hole. Some people in the community are really worried," Blewden said.
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