Families 'had no water all night' after burst main on Swindon estate

Families with babies say they were left without water overnight after a burst main in Penhill this week.

Minety Road was flooded on Monday night after a Thames Water main burst.

But while the company recognises that some people had no water until the next morning, it says people must pre-register to receive bottled water.

One resident said he lost water around 7.30pm.

He said: “My son was due a bottle and bath at the time the water went off.

“I have a six-month-old and was worried about feeding him so ran to get a 5l bottle of water.”

While he was only without water for around an hour, one Minety Road family with a 7-month-old baby said they did not have water until the morning.

Residents were reportedly told by Thames Water that bottles of water were on their way, but say this never arrived.

"She had to go to the shop to buy bottled water, so as far as I know none of the residents were provided water", the resident said.

Thames Water recognises that some may have had no water until the morning.

A spokesperson said: “We’re very sorry to our customers who experienced low water pressure or no water on Monday evening, or during the early hours of Tuesday morning, following a burst on Minety Road in Swindon.

They added that bottled water is delivered to customers who are pre-registered with Thames Water as having special requirements.

They said: “We would also encourage customers who need extra support or those with young children (under the age of five) to sign up to our Priority Services Register.

“This enables us to deliver bottled water during a supply interruption.”

Thames Water says it will get in touch with pre-registered people and provide help and support.

The spokesperson continued: “Our engineers completed the necessary repair on Monday night and all customers are back in supply.”

This is the latest in a number of burst Thames Water pipes. On June 17 Grange Park Way was closed due to flooding and was due to reopen on June 19.

On May 23, Thamesdown Drive was flooded and part closed while a burst water main was repaired as the road sagged at the side.

The spokesperson said: “We would encourage customers who have questions or concerns regarding their water supply to contact our dedicated customer service team on 0800 316 9800.”