Thames Water latest LIVE: Swathes of west London left without water after power failure - is your area affected?

Thousands of homes in west and south-west London were left with no or low pressure water on Wednesday after a power supply issue at a Thames Water plant.

Schools were forced to shut with Thames Water saying the issue at its Ashford and Hampton water treatment works on Wednesday morning impacted more than 50 postcodes.

Residents in Putney, Wembley, Twickenham, Richmond, Southfields, Hampton, Uxbridge and White City were among those affected while Hounslow Council reported no or low water in the parts of the borough.

Several schools notified parents of their closure while others said they were “monitoring the situation” and would update parents throughout the day.

Thames Water later said the power supply has returned and “supplies should be starting to return across the area”.

The following postcodes were hit by the problems: SW4, SW8, SW9, SW13, SW14, SW15, SW18, SW19, TW1, TW2, TW3, TW4, TW5, TW7, TW8, TW9, TW10, TW11, TW12, TW13, TW14, TW17, W1H, W1H, W1M, W1N, W2, W3, W4, W6, W7, W10, W12, W13, W14.

Delays before water supply fully restored, says Thames Water

14:15 , Josh Salisbury

It will likely “take some time” for the water supply in affected areas to fully return, Thames Water has said.

In its latest update, the supplier said: “The power supply is now back on at Ashford Water Treatment Works and supplies should be starting to return across the area.

“The issue also had a knock-on effect at Hampton Water Treatment Works, meaning a large number of customers have been affected. We’re really sorry for the worry and inconvenience this will have caused.

“We’re working hard to get things back to normal as soon as possible, but it’s likely to take some time for the supply system to refill and for water to fully return to the whole area.”

‘Many postcodes’ see water supply returned

13:01 , Miriam Burrell

A Thames Water spokesperson told the Standard “many postcodes” across West London have returned water supply, but did not confirm how many.

“The rest expected to be restored across the course of the day”, the spokesperson added.

Full list of Richmond school closures

12:34 , Miriam Burrell

Fourteen schools were shut across Richmond on Wednesday morning after water supply issues.

• Bishop Perrin Primary

• Buckingham Primary

• Carlisle Infant

• Christs Secondary

• Kew Riverside Primary

• Nelson Primary

• St Edmunds Primary

• St James Primary

• St Richard Reynolds High

• Sheen Mount Primary

• The Russell Primary

• Twickenham Primary Academy

• Vineyard Primary

• Waldegrave Secondary

Mayor ‘asking for answers’ over water supply issue

12:17 , Miriam Burrell

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he is in touch with Thames Water and “asking for the answers Londoners want about why this has happened and how to ensure it does not happen again”.

Richmond libraries closed

11:54 , Miriam Burrell

School closures across west London

11:52 , Miriam Burrell

Schools across west London closed following the water shortage, including Lady Eleanor Holles School in Hampton and Vineyard School in Richmond.

Sir Richard Reynolds in Twickenham also closed.

What happens when your water comes back on?

11:43 , Miriam Burrell

Full pressure water is starting to return for some residents.

Here is some advice from Thames Water for when your water supply comes back on:

• If your water looks cloudy when you turn your tap back on, it’s likely to be tiny air bubbles trapped in the water

• This is harmless, and if you pour a glass of water you should see the bubbles clear from the bottom of the glass upwards. The cloudiness should disappear if you run your cold kitchen tap for a couple of minutes

• Sometimes the water pressure can take a while to build up again so allow time for this

• At first your water might splutter out of your tap when it comes back on, but this should clear if you run your cold kitchen tap for a couple of minutes

Local hospitals supported with tankers

11:34 , Miriam Burrell

Thames Water said the west London plant is “now back in power” and water supply to is expected to return “across the day”.

“As a precaution, we’re bringing tankers into the area to support local hospitals and critical infrastructure,” it said in an update.

“Getting water supplies back on is our top priority and while our team work on this we’re identifying everyone in the affected area who has pre-registered with us as having special requirements, such as being medically reliant on water, so we can get in touch and make sure we give them the help and support they need.”

Water supply returning across west London

11:32 , Miriam Burrell

A power supply issue at Thames Water’s Ashford water treatment works - that left thousands with little or no water - has been fixed.

Water supplies should be starting to return across west London, Thames Water said in an update.

The firm said: “The issue also had a knock-on effect at Hampton Water Treatment Works, meaning a large number of customers have been affected.

“We’re really sorry for the worry and inconvenience this will have caused.

“We’re working hard to get things back to normal as soon as possible, but it’s likely to take some time for the supply system to refill and for water to fully return to the whole area.”