Customers critical after being left without water

A water company says it is planning to set up a water station and deliver bottled water to vulnerable customers after residents reported being left without water for hours.

A spokesperson for South West Water said some customers in the Buckfastleigh area were experiencing low water pressure and temporary loss of supply after "issues with equipment" at one of its treatment works.

They said resolving the original issue had lead to air pockets forming within the network which had affected supplies.

Buckfastleigh resident Dawn Austin, 72, said she had not had "even a trickle" of water since 22:00 BST on Thursday and by Friday afternoon had not received help from South West Water.

Austin said she was "appalled" by the situation and said lengthy queues on the phone had made the issue worse.

"South West Water know I'm one of their priority customers, yet they've made no contact with me and made it quite clear they wouldn't come out with water for at least 24 hours," she said.

Another resident said their water had come back briefly just after Friday lunchtime but it had stopped again at about 14:00.

The water firm's spokesperson said teams were working "to restore normal service as quickly as possible".

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