Water back on for thousands in Marchwood and the New Forest

Water supplies were lost due to dirty flood-water in the River Test

Water has returned to thousands of homes after Storm Ciarán led to a supply works being shut down.

More than 18,000 properties across the Southampton and New Forest areas lost their supplies on Thursday evening.

Southern Water said all customers were reconnected on Sunday but warned of temporary low pressure or discolouration.

Four bottled water stations set up for those in need have been closed.

Water levels rose at the Southern Water treatment facility at Testwood

The Testwood site, near Totton, normally supplies 91 million litres of water daily.

It had to be shut down after the River Test was inundated with water containing mud, silt and debris from bare fields which meant it could not be abstracted and treated for drinking.

Southern Water said the works were designed to cope with a "certain amount" of dirt and debris but had seen "nothing on this scale" before.

The firm said is was not unusual to see an "increased number of external leaks after an incident like this" and urged people to report any issues.

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