Residents are frustrated after two leaks have reportedly been left for weeks on end despite national calls to conserve water.

There are two meters in Livingstone Road, Gillingham said to be spilling water – one which has been going for more than a month and the other around two weeks.

Both have been reported by residents but Alan Hoyle – who lives next door to one of the leaks – said nothing has been done.

The 55-year-old continued: "It has got a lot worse. All the rubbish gets stuck in the water and comes down the street. We are having to pick it up from our doorsteps.

"It is awful. It is now going into my water meter and I worry it will make it rust or cause damage to it.

"There is all this about hose pipe bans and droughts but water companies will leave hundreds of gallons a day go down the drain.

"You go down any street in Gillingham at the moment and they are all like it. No one has been sorting it out. It is madness."

Leo Henry, 47, another neighbour, added: "One has been going on for a couple of weeks and the other about a month. It is a bit frustrating. I thought something would have been done by now."

The two leaks have caused multiple puddles of water to form on the pavement and small streams to flow down the road.

One of the meters belongs to a couple who did not wish to be named. They said they had reported it to Southern Water and told it would be fixed on September 9 – three weeks after it started.

"We were told it is not an emergency," they said. "You are wasting your breath with the water company really, we were on the phone for an hour waiting for answers.

"I have no idea if and when they will come. It is gallons and gallons of water being wasted. They are quick enough to take your money but do not come out and fix the problems.

"It is frustrating, it is not convenient either. There is rubbish collecting in the water and it is not my job to sweep it up but what can you do. It is ridiculous, we did not think it would this be long."

Another resident who lives further up added: "No one seems to be doing anything. It is running across the pavement and you can actually see it building up.

"It must be costing a fortune. It is a precious commodity and we should not be wasting it. Everybody is trying hard to conserve water and energy but the water company is letting it just flow out."

There are currently hose pipe bans across Kent but Southern Water customers are not affected – although the utility firm has called in restrictions elsewhere in the country.

'It is gallons and gallons of water being wasted. They are quick enough to take your money but do not come out and fix the problems'

The county has also declared a drought following the driest summer for 50 years.

A spokesman from Southern Water said: "We understand our customers are frustrated with the delays to the repairs to their water meters.

"The works were scheduled to be completed in August, but unfortunately due to a high volume of emergency works, we had no choice but to divert our crews.

"We are sorry for these delays and have planned for our teams to carry out the repairs within the next 10 working days."