By Sofia Lambis, Deputy Editor
New Bridewell has had intermittent hot water and multiple outages since January, leaving residents feeling ‘frustrated’ and ‘ignored.’
Seventeen students reached out to Epigram with concerns over their accommodation.
Last week, residents were notified of a planned water outage due to maintenance between 10am and 2pm on Tuesday 17. The outage ended up lasting 36 hours, leaving residents unable to access running water, washing machines and toilets.
The students, who pay over £220 per week for ensuite rooms, were forced to use portaloos and external gym showers instead.
They described dirty dishes piled in the sink and toilets that wouldn't flush due to the lack of running water. Some had to spend the night without drinking water after the reception ran out of water bottles.
New Bridewell residents are calling for compensation and a permanent solution to the water faults.
Between January and March, they received several emails from the accommodation team regarding ‘faults’ with the hot water system, at one point claiming that a ‘goodwill payment is under consideration.’
Residents were advised to pay for a month’s gym membership with the understanding that they could shower there, which would then be reimbursed. Some claim that, two months on, they have yet to be compensated.
'Due to these persistent problems, I have been unable to take showers, cook, or maintain basic hygiene on several occasions', says one student.
Another resident who recently underwent surgery had to temporarily move back home for reliable access to hot water.
Some claimed the ‘unpredictable’ outages made it difficult to plan their day. ‘After training sessions and work shifts, access to reliable and consistent hot water is essential. The ongoing disruption has fallen below an acceptable standard of living.’
Grace, a first-year University of Bristol student told Epigram that the only time she could access hot water was during the early hours of the morning, before most residents were awake.
Dana Andrea Datu
A University of Bristol spokesperson said,
‘We’re aware that some residents at New Bridewell have reported experiencing intermittent issues with their water supply this week. This was restored on Wednesday evening.
We worked with the building managers, Fresh, to get this resolved as quickly as possible and sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this caused.’
The University has a lease on 400 rooms at New Bridewell, however the accommodation itself is owned by an external investor and managed by Fresh. It's home to both University of Bristol and University of the West of England students.
Speaking to Epigram, a Fresh representative said,
‘we were made aware of a lack of water supply at New Bridewell following a mains pipe failure earlier this week and are sorry for any inconvenience to residents during this planned maintenance.
Our staff acted quickly with contractors to resolve the issue, providing residents with bottled water, temporary welfare facilities, access to external showers, and meals, as well as offering alternative accommodation.
The water supply has now been fully restored.’
Featured image: Epigram / James Cleaver
