Turvey water warning: Bedfordshire village residents told not to drink tap water

Bottled water is being handed out by Anglian Water from the war memorial by Carlton Road

Villagers have been told not to drink tap water after a burst water pipe.

Anglian Water said about 500 homes in Turvey, Bedfordshire, have been affected after "third party damage" on Thursday.

As a precaution, while it tests the water quality, "tap water should not be used for drinking, preparing food or cleaning teeth", the firm said.

Some homes which had their supply disrupted have since had it restored, a spokeswoman said.

Leaflets have been sent to affected homes telling them not to drink or cook with their tap water

Claire Sims, who lives in the village, said: "They are replacing the gas mains on the nearby A428 and I heard they dug through a water main.

"It went off yesterday morning, but it is back on now.

"We got a message through the door this morning saying 'don't drink the water', but that was by the time half the village had had a cup of tea."

About 1,000 people live in the north Bedfordshire village of Turvey

The spokeswoman for the company confirmed repairs and checks were ongoing and the disruption could take place for most of the weekend.

Bottled water was being handed out and tap water was OK to use for washing, bathing and flushing toilets, she said.

Paul Valleley, the company's director of water services, said: "We are very sorry for the inconvenience caused, but customers' health and wellbeing must come first."

Anglian Water has set up a welfare unit in the village hall car park