A pub landlord likened a water leak flooding his cellar to an episode of Only Fools and Horses in which Del Boy bottles tap water and sells it as spring water.

Phil Rice, landlord of The Old Wheatsheaf in Windmill Hill, Enfield Town, has been frantically bailing out his flooded basement since water started pouring in from below ground on Monday, November 11.

He has been pumping out 1,000 litres of water an hour from the cellar and was left with £10,000-worth of ruined beer.

But more than a week later, on November 18, Mr Rice said nothing had been done to fix the problem, which forced him to close the pub for more than two days.

Mr Rice said: “Thames Water dug two big holes in the pavement and then walked away.

“They’ve done nothing else and said you need to speak to the council. The council said, you need to go back to Thames Water.

“Every morning I get up and I’m having to pay for pumps myself – no-one has supplied us with any.”

Enfield Independent:

Mr Rice likened the incident to Only Fools and Horses episode Mother Nature’s Son, in which Del Boy starts bottling tap water and selling it as Peckham Spring Water.

He said: “We might have a whole new Enfield Spring Water. This time next year we could be millionaires – or just about to close.

“What am I supposed to do? I’ve got nowhere to go. I’ve done kicking the wall and screaming. I just don’t know where to go next.

“We have got contaminated products. There’s no point in getting fresh stock until I know it is going to be fixed.”

Mr Rice said he was planning to open on Monday evening after being forced to close on Thursday, Friday and part of Saturday.

He added that the council had been “very supportive” and helped him out, even though it could not carry out the repair work itself.

A spokesperson for Thames Water said: “We’re sorry to hear about the flooding in Mr Rice’s basement. We’re investigating the cause as a matter of urgency.”