Water cut off to 5,600 Shropshire homes after pump fails

More than 5,000 properties in north Shropshire were left without water for more than four hours yesterday after a problem with a supply pump.

Water was cut off from homes and businesses in the Whitchurch and Market Drayton area from about 3.30pm yesterday after a pump in a borehole supplying the area failed.

Engineers from Severn Trent fixed the problem, which affected about 5,600 properties, at about 8pm.

But officials from the utility company today said that it took until about 2am for the water supply to return to all the properties in the area.

Councillor Kath Brown, mayor of Market Drayton, said: "I was out most of the day yesterday at Remembrance Day, but when I came back home to make a cup of tea I noticed the water was dripping.

"I also noticed the toilets hadn't filled up."

A spokeswoman for Severn Trent said: "At about 3.30pm yesterday the pump at the borehole failed.It meant water wasn't getting in to the water reserve.

"We believe 5,600 properties may have been affected.

"We sent engineers to look at the problem straight away and they worked through the night.

"At about 8pm they fixed the pump and water started returning to properties.

"But it had to be done slowly because of the water pressure and to prevent there being further problems."

The spokeswoman said she wanted to apologise to anyone affected by the problems.