Burst pipe shuts schools and cuts off homes

Dimitri Stoliopoulos said he had not been at work today because of the outage

Several schools were forced to close and some homes and businesses were left with no water for almost 12 hours after supply problems in Leamington Spa.

Six primary schools and the 1,000-pupil Campion School closed which Severn Trent Water said was due to a burst water pipe.

The firm said some customers in the CV31, CV32, CV33 and CV34 areas of Warwickshire had been experiencing problems, but added at 09:30 GMT that supplies had been reconnected.

However, resident Dimitri Stoliopoulos said he had been without water from 05:00 until about 17:00 and criticised Severn Trent for a lack of communication.

Mr Stoliopoulos said his water supply was discoloured

"I accept faults or leaks can happen," he said.

"But I had no notification or updates about what was happening or when we would get it back.

"The person I spoke to on the phone said they only give out water after 12 hours, which I was nearly at, but he said that would only start from when I reported it - to which I said 'are you joking?'"

Mr Stoliopoulos said he now had water, but would not be drinking it until the "muddy" colour disappears.

Another local resident Julie Taylor said she had been without water for about 10 hours and got through it by going to a cafe for lunch, while her husband showered at his gym.

"If it had gone on into the night, the schools would've been closed again tomorrow," she said.

"We can see them [Severn Trent] still out there working, but we have got it back now - we are relieved."

A spokesperson for Campion School said it closed due to "health and safety" concerns.

Clapham Terrace Primary, Sydenham Primary, Shrubland Street Community Primary, Whitnash Primary School, St Patrick's Catholic Primary School and St Anthony's Catholic Primary School all said they had shut.

Severn Trent vans could be seen parked at the bottom of Campion Hills on Thursday morning.

The firm said in a statement on Wednesday evening that it was working to fix the burst pipe and was moving water around the area to ensure supplies, which may cause some discolouration.

"We apologise for any interruptions you may experience during this time and appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to resolve the issue as quickly as possible," it said.

Severn Trent Water said supplies had been reconnected in Leamington