Terry Gulliver, a swim coach, received a bill exceeding $5000, a figure almost eight times his usual charge.

“I thought it was my rate bill, and then I took a double-take because it said water and sewerage… and I thought that’s crazy,” Gulliver said.

“I rang up the council and he said ‘oh you must have a leak’ and I thought, ‘oh really?!’ and then they said ‘you need to get a leak detector’ and I did that.”

Subsequent investigation revealed a tree root had penetrated and cracked a water pipe on his Palm Beach property, leading to a burst.

“Its got in to one of the joints, and the water has just expanded and the water’s just pouring out.”

While property owners are typically responsible for pipes on their side of the water meter, Gulliver argues the Gold Coast City Council should bear the financial responsibility due to the council’s tree being the source of the damage.

He expressed concern about potential future damage if the situation is not addressed.

“I want them to sort out the restitution, how they’re going to pay me for this, sort out the cost of it, and I want them to re-think about these trees,” he said.

The Gold Coast City Council claims to have notified Gulliver of a potential issue earlier in the month, and said no subsequent concerns were officially lodged.