Thousands without water after pipe burst in Nottinghamshire

Severn Trent said it was working to replace the broken section of the pipe

Several thousand homes are without water in Nottinghamshire after a major pipe burst.

Large parts of the eastern side of the county are affected by the problem, which occurred in the village of Epperstone.

Severn Trent Water said it was one of its biggest mains, meaning people may have no supply or low pressure.

It is working to deliver bottled water to vulnerable people in the affected areas, it added.

Severn Trent Water said it received about 20 calls by 01:00 BST on Sunday, with workmen on the site by 01:30.

Engineers have now removed the broken part of the pipe and are working to connect a new section.

The 24in pipe is one of the biggest in the area

In a statement, Severn Trent Water added: "As water starts to come back on it's possible this could be at low pressure to begin with but this will build as we get more water into our pipes.

"This section of the network covers a wide area of Nottinghamshire so it will take a bit of time for water to get round the pipes and back to customer's homes."

The company said that many of the affected households had seen their normal supplies return, and a collection point has been set up at Bingham Leisure Centre to help those still without water.

The collection point will be open until 22:00 on Sunday.

Bottles of water were provided for residents

Peter Edney, from Severn Trent Water, said engineers have been working "since the early hours of the morning" to move water around the network.

"We're doing everything we can to get all supplies restored as soon as we can and once again we'd like to say sorry for the inconvenience that's been caused," he added.

In 2016, about 20,000 homes were left without running water for 12 hours following a burst main in the same village.