Thousands Of Homes In Gloucestershire And Wiltshire Without Water

Bea SwallowBBC News, West of England

Thames Water A field with a flooded section in the middle where a burst pipe has overflowed the basin. The floodwater is surrounded by wooden and metal fencing. In the background you can see cars driving along the A419. It is a grey and misty day. — Thames Water is currently trying to drain floodwater to access one of the burst pipes near the A419

Thousands of homes are still without water after “multiple burst pipes” left the supply dwindling.

Residents living within the SN6, SN26, GL7 and GL8 postcodes are currently experiencing little to no water pressure due to burst pipes in the Cricklade area.

Thames Water said the reservoir that supplies homes in those areas with water had been affected, and they were in the process of making “complex repairs”.

The company added that a drive-through bottle water station has been set up in a car park on Oxford Road in Swindon, Wiltshire.

Thames Water have set up a temporary water station in the car park of a camping store

Thames Water Around 20 wooden pallet crates stacked high with bottled of water, wrapped and sealed in clear plastic. They are sitting in the middle of a car park on a grey and dreary day. On the left there is a Thames Water employee dressed in full hi-vis orange with a white plastic helmet. — Thames Water have set up a temporary water station in the car park of a camping store

Thames Water is currently at the site of one of the burst pipes, which is located in a field near the A419.

The company is pumping out a large amount of flood water in order to safely get to the pipework.

However, it said: “Due to its location and the complex nature of this repair we expect this will take some time before we can complete a full repair.

“We know how inconvenient it is if you lose your water supply, so we’ll work hard to get things back to normal as soon as we can,” it added.

Thames Water is conducting an “extensive tankering operation” in the area

Thames Water A large Thames Water tanker truck with coiled pipework and big blue containers on the back. In the background there are more Thames Water vans and equipment. It is a grey and misty day. — Thames Water is conducting an “extensive tankering operation” in the area

The water company has also been using tankers to move water from other areas in an effort to keep taps running.

The company said bottled water will be delivered to priority service customers throughout the day – this includes people with a disability or chronic health condition.

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