By . Wills Robinson . PUBLISHED: . 04:56 EST, 4 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:52 EST, 4 November 2013 . For fifty years, farmer Doug Goulbourne lived without running water. From the age of 21, he was forced to take a bucket back and forth to a tatttered water pump at Widow Croft Farm in Hollingworth, Greater Manchester, just so he could have a bath or pour himself a glass of water. But now, the 72-year-old has been connected to a water mains for the very first time, and celebrated by turning the tap, filling his kettle and making a cup of tea. Into the 21st century: Doug Goulbourne, 72, can now make himself a glass of water without having to walk to a water pump after almost 50 years without running water . Daily routine: He would have to take a bucket to the tattered pump if he ever wanted water . The farmer has been going back and forth to a tattered water pump in a ditch 50 yards away since his parents moved to the property in 1962. Now, after having to rescue unlucky frogs from the 166-year-old contraption at the break of dawn he  can enjoy quality H20 around the clock. 'I'm delighted,' said Mr Goulbourne, . who kept his bath full with water while the workmen from United Utilities dug around his . 84-acre farm just in case the supply ran out. 'Having . running water makes my life so much easier now. It's fantastic just . knowing when I turn on the tap - water is going to come out. Work: Mr Goulbounre, pictured working in the dairy,  moved to the farm in 1962 when he was 21-years-old . Property: The pump used on the farm in Hollingworth, Greater Manchester, was installed 166 years ago . Tough: The farmer has suffered many winters without any water at all, but can now enjoy H20 around the clock . 'It's a real pain having to thaw out your water supply every winter or worry about it drying up in the summer. I think it's marvellous now I have a mains supply and they say it is better water too.' Bachelor Mr Goulbourne inherited . Widows Croft Farm, built in 1837, from his father in the late 1960s . but he was happy to carry on using the well - which involved taking . water from a tank filled by gravity from water streams. He would wake up at 5.30am each day and get the water after he tended to his animals, including a pet cow called Susan, 60 cattle and four dogs. But . times were difficult when his rickety water pump, which channels water . from moorland streams, failed and he was left with no other . option but to fix it time and time again. Finally: He is now able to make a cup of tea by simply turning the tap and filling his kettle . Early rise: He would get the water after waking up at 5.30am each day to tend to his animals, which includes a cow called Susan, 60 cattle and four dogs . Despite the monotonous routine, he never thought about getting running water installed until the offer arrived. Under a new Â£3m scheme, United . Utilities have extended their water network to more remote parts of the . valley where the farmer lives, so supplies will be piped to him and more than . 30 other properties in the area. 'Having a well and no running water was like having a wooden leg,' said Mr Goulburne, who has not owned a working television for 14 years and builds . radios to communicate via Morse code with enthusiasts as far afield as . Spain and Croatia. Handed down: Bachelor Mr Goulbourne inherited Widows Croft Farm from his father in the late 1960s . 'If you've got one, you make do with it and carry on. The tank could pack up at any time and there would be no water to draw and I just to go without. 'It used to always seem to pack up on . Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. But when you're used to using . something you just carry on, it doesn't occur to you to change.' 'Now . it's going to make a tremendous difference. Some days I don't have the . energy I used to have. It's going to give me so much more time - I'll . feel ten years younger. 'It's . going to be lovely to have clean, clear water because there was a lot . of pollution in the other one. In spring I would get little frogs stuck . in the pump and I would have to pull them out. Now . the best thing is the water is just there. I don't have any problems . now. Now if I do have a problem I just ring the company up and they sort . it out. 'Some people . say, 'how can you live like that?' and I say 'well how do you think . people looked after themselves 1,000 years ago?' That's where people got . water from.' Content: Despite the monotonous routine, the farmer did not think about being connected to a water supply until he was offered one . He added: 'We are so lucky in this country having beautiful clean water. We should appreciate it more. But I'm tremendously grateful for what's happened. I have spent quite a lot of time this year messing about with the pump. 'Usually I have enough water to last through winter but this year I didn't have enough. It's run out through winter before and you just have to fix it.' Graham Dent, the United Utilities project co-ordinator said: 'It seems ironic that these properties are so close to our reservoir and yet they don't have mains water. 'We're going to put that right and there will be a lot of activity this autumn as we lay the new pipes. We've planned the work outside peak times and we are keeping the pipeline away from major highways as much as possible.' In 2010, only 30,021 out of more than 21 million households in England and Wales were not connected to the mains supply. Water began being pumped to British houses in the middle of the 19th century after people had previously relied on rivers and wells for their water.
Doug Goulbourne, 72, moved into his remote farm near Manchester in 1962 .
Would wake up at 5.30am every morning to go to 166-year-old water pump .
He spent some winters without any water at all when the water pump failed .
Says his life his 'so much easier' knowing water will come out from the tap .
By . Wills Robinson . PUBLISHED: . 04:56 EST, 4 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:52 EST, 4 November 2013 . For fifty years, farmer Doug Goulbourne lived without running water. From the age of 21, he was forced to take a bucket back and forth to a tatttered water pump at Widow Croft Farm in Hollingworth, Greater Manchester, just so he could have a bath or pour himself a glass of water. But now, the 72-year-old has been connected to a water mains for the very first time, and celebrated by turning the tap, filling his kettle and making a cup of tea. Into the 21st century: Doug Goulbourne, 72, can now make himself a glass of water without having to walk to a water pump after almost 50 years without running water . Daily routine: He would have to take a bucket to the tattered pump if he ever wanted water . The farmer has been going back and forth to a tattered water pump in a ditch 50 yards away since his parents moved to the property in 1962. Now, after having to rescue unlucky frogs from the 166-year-old contraption at the break of dawn he  can enjoy quality H20 around the clock. 'I'm delighted,' said Mr Goulbourne, . who kept his bath full with water while the workmen from United Utilities dug around his . 84-acre farm just in case the supply ran out. 'Having . running water makes my life so much easier now. It's fantastic just . knowing when I turn on the tap - water is going to come out. Work: Mr Goulbounre, pictured working in the dairy,  moved to the farm in 1962 when he was 21-years-old . Property: The pump used on the farm in Hollingworth, Greater Manchester, was installed 166 years ago . Tough: The farmer has suffered many winters without any water at all, but can now enjoy H20 around the clock . 'It's a real pain having to thaw out your water supply every winter or worry about it drying up in the summer. I think it's marvellous now I have a mains supply and they say it is better water too.' Bachelor Mr Goulbourne inherited . Widows Croft Farm, built in 1837, from his father in the late 1960s . but he was happy to carry on using the well - which involved taking . water from a tank filled by gravity from water streams. He would wake up at 5.30am each day and get the water after he tended to his animals, including a pet cow called Susan, 60 cattle and four dogs. But . times were difficult when his rickety water pump, which channels water . from moorland streams, failed and he was left with no other . option but to fix it time and time again. Finally: He is now able to make a cup of tea by simply turning the tap and filling his kettle . Early rise: He would get the water after waking up at 5.30am each day to tend to his animals, which includes a cow called Susan, 60 cattle and four dogs . Despite the monotonous routine, he never thought about getting running water installed until the offer arrived. Under a new Â£3m scheme, United . Utilities have extended their water network to more remote parts of the . valley where the farmer lives, so supplies will be piped to him and more than . 30 other properties in the area. 'Having a well and no running water was like having a wooden leg,' said Mr Goulburne, who has not owned a working television for 14 years and builds . radios to communicate via Morse code with enthusiasts as far afield as . Spain and Croatia. Handed down: Bachelor Mr Goulbourne inherited Widows Croft Farm from his father in the late 1960s . 'If you've got one, you make do with it and carry on. The tank could pack up at any time and there would be no water to draw and I just to go without. 'It used to always seem to pack up on . Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. But when you're used to using . something you just carry on, it doesn't occur to you to change.' 'Now . it's going to make a tremendous difference. Some days I don't have the . energy I used to have. It's going to give me so much more time - I'll . feel ten years younger. 'It's . going to be lovely to have clean, clear water because there was a lot . of pollution in the other one. In spring I would get little frogs stuck . in the pump and I would have to pull them out. Now . the best thing is the water is just there. I don't have any problems . now. Now if I do have a problem I just ring the company up and they sort . it out. 'Some people . say, 'how can you live like that?' and I say 'well how do you think . people looked after themselves 1,000 years ago?' That's where people got . water from.' Content: Despite the monotonous routine, the farmer did not think about being connected to a water supply until he was offered one . He added: 'We are so lucky in this country having beautiful clean water. We should appreciate it more. But I'm tremendously grateful for what's happened. I have spent quite a lot of time this year messing about with the pump. 'Usually I have enough water to last through winter but this year I didn't have enough. It's run out through winter before and you just have to fix it.' Graham Dent, the United Utilities project co-ordinator said: 'It seems ironic that these properties are so close to our reservoir and yet they don't have mains water. 'We're going to put that right and there will be a lot of activity this autumn as we lay the new pipes. We've planned the work outside peak times and we are keeping the pipeline away from major highways as much as possible.' In 2010, only 30,021 out of more than 21 million households in England and Wales were not connected to the mains supply. Water began being pumped to British houses in the middle of the 19th century after people had previously relied on rivers and wells for their water.
century: Doug Goulbourne, 72, can now make unlucky frogs from the 166-year-old contraption much easier now. It's fantastic just . knowing dairy,  moved to the farm in 1962 when he was suffered many winters without any water at all, would wake up at 5.30am each day and get the simply turning the tap and filling his kettle .