Earlier this year several residents along Fivebough Road who aren't connected to town water signed a petition calling on council to extend its network to their homes for the basic purposes of drinking, showering and washing clothes.

Kerry Maguire was behind the calls and spoke at a recent council meeting outlining how desperate the situation was, labelling not having the system at their homes as akin to "third world conditions".

Council decided to defer a decision on the matter at that September meeting, but last week officially declined approving an extension of the town water main.

RELATED: 'Third world living', residents plead for connection

Council officers estimated the capital and operational costs of installing a loop main would be around $1 million and recently canvassed residents to see if they would contribute $42,000 each to the project should it go ahead.

Mrs Maguire said she was unsure where the $42,000 figure came from and said there was no way residents had that kind of money lying around to contribute.

"Extending the town water main has been done out to Stony Point, Corbie Hill, so why can't it happen here?" she asked.

"It seems to me council were never interested in looking into it properly from the beginning.

"They say it comes down to being zoned as rural, but surely if you can go out to those other areas, it can come here too."

Council said it resolved to decline the request due to the capital and operational costs of extending the town water main, rendering the project unaffordable.

In a letter to council, Mrs Maguire outlined how disheartened she was by the process.

"The 'estimated costs' of $42,000 seems a ridiculous amount ... I get the impression council has no interest in the connection of town water to the remaining Fivebough Road (properties) as it is yet to do a detailed assessment of costing," she wrote.

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