A HUGE shortage of plumbers is leaving householders in deep water - and Huddersfield is one of the worst hit areas.
Huddersfield Technical College principal Chris Sadler is finding it almost impossible to recruit more plumbing lecturers to meet the demands of the industry.
He said: "All the quality plumbers are out there working, so it is difficult to find any who want to teach.
"The government has provided funding in this area but it is concentrated on 14 to 19-year- olds rather than mature students.
"These young plumbers will mature into the quality tradesmen of the future but they will take some time to come through the system."
Although there is a need for more skilled plumbers across the country, West Yorkshire has been singled out by water industry specialists Home Service as one place where you could have to wait months.
Home Service managing director, Jonathan King, said: "When you are up to your neck in a difficult situation you want a fast solution. But if you have not planned ahead you could be vulnerable to rogue traders if you rely on pot luck.
West Yorkshire Trading Standards also warned of the danger of cowboys for people needing a plumber in a hurry.
Divisional manager David Lodge said:
"Certainly there are a lot of cowboys and they will look to areas where there is a shortage of skilled labour.
"The best thing to do is make sure you know a good plumber and they have been recommended by someone."
