Water set to return to thousands after fault

Nearly 60,000 homes in and around Southampton have been without water

Thousands of people who have been left without water following a fault at a supply works are set to see their supplies return.

Southern Water said it had fixed the problem at the Testwood Water Supply Works in Totton, Hampshire overnight and had restarted the site.

The water firm said it was filling up the reservoir with drinking water ready to restore supplies after 58,000 properties were affected in parts of Southampton, Eastleigh, Romsey and the New Forest.

It said customers would start to be reconnected later on Thursday.

Bottled water stations have opened for a second day

Three bottled water stations have opened:

Staplewood Football Development Centre, Marchwood, Southampton, SO40 4WR

Places Leisure Centre, Passfield Avenue, Eastleigh, SO50 9NL

ASDA, Maynard Road, Totton, Southampton, SO40 3ZA

Queues of people are already gathering to collect supplies in the Asda car park

Supplies were lost on Wednesday morning after a technical issue at Testwood Water Supply Works.

Apologising on Wednesday, the water firm said the disruption was likely to continue until the weekend.

Numerous schools in the Test Valley and New Forest area have been forced to close for a second day.

The postcodes affected are SO15, SO16, SO40, SO42, SO43, SO45, SO50, SO51, SO52, SO53.

Lengthy queues were seen as people drove to collect supplies from Staplewood Football Development Centre, Marchwood on Thursday morning

Southern Water said it had used 23 tankers to "keep vital services supplied" - seven of them have been dedicated to University Hospital Southampton.

On Thursday, it was announced that household water bills would increase by an average of £31 a year over the next five years.

The regulator, Ofwat, said the 36% increase was enough for water companies to pay for upgrades and reduce sewage spills.