A newly-formed committee has come to the rescue of a church after a sewage pipe which lay faulty for 42 years caused a two month delay in refurbishment work.
The Wem and Shawbury local joint committee has awarded church officials in Loppington £5,000 to fix the pipe so they can use a new kitchen and toilet which were completed in May.
Officials at the 800-year-old St Michael and All Angels Church discovered they could not use any water for the new facilities. When they put a camera down the drains they found that pipes had not been connected properly when the council connected them to the estate system in 1967.
Restoration work to the Grade I listed church already totalled £74,000 and to have the pipes fixed was going to cost an extra £5,000. Church officials were advised by their solicitor that Severn Trent was responsible.
But Severn Trent officials have denied liability meaning fundraisers have had to look elsewhere for the cash.
The Wem and Shawbury local joint committee held its first ever meeting on Monday and were so impressed that church officials had raised so much money towards the project they said that they would help.
Helen Lopez, churchwarden, said they had given up negotiations with Severn Trent and are delighted that the new committee has come to their rescue.
“To continue to pursue the argument with Severn Trent would mean we would have to sue them and this would cause further delays I think we have waited long enough,” she said.
Mrs Lopez added that an independent builder will correct the problem and hopes the new facilities will be used by the end of the month.
A spokesperson for Shropshire Council, said: “We have been in discussions with the church to try and resolve the issues with the sewerage pipe.
No-one from Severn Trent was available to comment when the Chronicle went to press.