Relief for Queensland family slugged with $12,000 water bill
UPDATE: Queensland Urban Utilities has agreed to waive a water bill totalling more than $12,000 issued to a mother who had a concealed leak on her property, after media coverage of the her plight.
The Ipswich mother of three received a shocking quarterly water bill which claimed she owed more than $12,327.97.
Sherelle Taylor, who has a newborn baby, was not expecting the astounding bill which had said the family had used 2,701,000 litres of water in a 90 day period - more than 30,000 litres a day.
Normally the family's water bill is between $300 and $400 so naturally Ms Taylor thought there was a problem.
An undetectable leak was found at her home after a meter reader told her partner the measurement was ticking over faster than it should and that she should contact a plumber.
They found a leaking spot 1.3 metres underground, which Ms Taylor said was fixed and the water turned back on.
The family were told to prepare for a large bill but weren't expecting the $12,000 amount.
Ms Taylor told 7 News: "It hurts, like I was very stressed out and my partner just had to say don't even look at it, don't think about it because you're ridiculous. It was just horrible."
The family had been given a $1000 concession on the bill but now Queensland Urban Utilities has waived the entire amount of $12,327.97 due to "special circumstances around this case".
A spokesperson for Queensland Urban Utilities said: "We do recognise that bills resulting from concealed leaks can cause distress for our customers, so we’d like to encourage all homeowners to regularly check their water meter to monitor consumption - this is the best way to identify hidden leaks.
"Concealed leaks can result in thousands of litres of water being lost underground with no visible signs of dampness on the surface."
Queensland Urban Utilities is now reminding homeowners that any leak in private plumbing is a homeowner's responsibility.
