Severn Trent apologises as fault sees homes without water in Telford

Scores of homes and businesses were left without water following a fault at a reservoir on one of the hottest days of the year.

Water bosses have apologised after customers in Telford were left without supplies due to faulty equipment.

Severn Trent Water said it had about 80 phone calls to its reporting hotline when residents and businesses suffered water shortages and low pressure on Monday night after a piece of equipment at a service reservoir failed.

Shortages affected people in parts of neighbouring areas Dawley, Malinslee, The Rock and Overdale on what was one of the hottest days of the year so far.

The company said the problem at the reservoir, which was noted at around 8pm, was fixed by 10pm but several residents complained of still having low pressure several hours later.

Simon Hill, 32, a graphic designer, of Long Row Drive, Lawley Village, said: “Myself and my wife got home at about 9pm only to find the water already off.

"We turned on the tap and the water just ran out and stopped. We weren’t able to have a cold drink.

“We went to bed at about midnight and it still hadn’t come back.

“It had returned when we got up at 7.30am the next morning.

"There was an airlock and humming in the pipes, but other than that the water looked fine.”

But another resident who lives in Finger Road, Dawley, said: “When I turned on the tap in the kitchen it was quite cloudy. I ran the tap for a while and it didn’t improve so I had to settle for a murky cup of coffee before I set off to work.”

Fast food chain McDonald’s was among the businesses affected by the lack of water supplies.

“Due to issues with water supply from Severn Trent Water we were forced to close the Telford Forge restaurant at 8pm on Monday 25th June.

"The restaurant reopened just after midnight and is currently open for business as usual,” a McDonald’s spokesman said.

Severn Trent spokesman Peter Edney said: “We’re really sorry to customers who were without water this morning. This was caused by an airlock in our network of pipes that has now been cleared."

Water is likely to be in high demand for the rest of the week as Britain's heatwave shows no signs of abating.

Parts of the UK are currently on a par with Kuala Lumpur and the mercury could rise even further later in the week, with a potential peak of 33C (91.4F) on Thursday.

In Shropshire, Tuesday and Wednesday are likely to be the hottest days with highs of around 27C (80.6F) in Ludlow and Shrewsbury.

The Met Office’s heat-health watch alert is currently at level two, meaning social and healthcare services are at the ready to reduce harm from a potential heatwave.

Police have also urged people to be careful of the temptation to swim in open water in the hot weather.