LONG-SUFFERING people should be compensated because water workings have dragged on so long, a councillor has demanded.
Tory Clr Martyn Bolt said there should be a gesture of goodwill for people in the Dunbottle Lane area of Mirfield.
Bosses at Yorkshire Water today said they were willing to make a donation to charity to compensate for the delays.
Work on pipelines should have finished in January, but massively over-ran.
Clr Bolt, who represents the town on Kirklees Council, said: "I know that problems have arisen during this contract, including workers finding a gas main they didn't know existed.
"But having spoken to people about the disruption to their lives for over half a year, I feel they should be offered a period free from their water rates."
Yorkshire Water today apologised.
A spokeswoman said: "The result of this work will be of significant benefit for many people in the area.
"We do understand the work has caused disruption for a number of months. Yorkshire Water has been working with local business with regard to compensation for loss of earnings."
But she added: "It is not possible, due to the way in which the water industry is regulated, to reduce customers' bills.
"However, we are committed to providing the local community with some form of support. We are liaising with Clr Bolt so we can find a local charity, organisation or group to which we can make a donation."
