THE landlady of the Seven Stars pub in East Street has criticised South East Water for for what she feels is their failure to deal with the on-going problem of the pub's discoloured water.

Cathy Johnson contacted The Herald to explain the "appalling state" of the pub's water which is brown in colour and has seen no improvement over the last three years.

Her complaint comes soon after much of central Farnham was affected by brown water a fortnight ago, when a contractor working at Farnham Hospital accidentally pulled up the water mains.

However, Mrs Johnson is at pains to point out that discoloured water is an everyday occurrence at her pub and she can't see a solution.

She has contacted South East Water intermittently over this period and feels they have been "unhelpful".

After arranging a series of appointments with their representatives to look at the water and pipes, she said she only received notes through the door, stating that no one was in when they called - a point she debates because she lives on the premises.

When a representative did look at the pipes, he told her that the quality of water was affected because the building and pipes were so old.

However, Mrs Johnson has since replaced the old pipes with new ones and the problem of discoloured water has persisted.

She also said that nearby properties including KBO Securities and a funeral parlour are also affected with brown water, which makes her feel there must be another explanation to the problem.

A spokesperson for South East Water, Jane Fuller said the problem with the water at the Seven Stars appears to be a "general one".

She said: "All the mains in the centre of Farnham have been rehabilitated, that is the old linings scraped out and replaced with new linings to improve water quality, and this has made a significant difference.

"Occasional problems with deposits outside the area can come through into the supply and we are investigating main by main to ascertain exactly where the problem is."

She was unable to explain why the Seven Stars had been affected, especially as the old pipes had been replaced with new ones.

She added: "We are expecting to propose and implement a solution this summer, and we will be contacting customers to let them know exactly what this will be."