Anglian Water customers in Suffolk advised to boil water before drinking

Anglian Water said people in some areas of Suffolk should boil tap water before use

A water company is asking customers to boil tap water and leave it to cool before use "as a precaution".

Anglian Water said those in the Red Lodge, Kentford, Tuddenham and Icklingham areas of Suffolk should boil water before drinking, cooking and brushing teeth until further notice.

The advice follows damage to a water main during engineering works.

Anglian Water said it was "working hard to get things back to normal as quickly as possible".

The advice also applies to drinking water for pets, but it is OK to use the water for washing, bathing and flushing toilets as normal, the company said.

David Ward, head of treated water distribution, said: "We're writing directly to all homes affected with advice on what to do and we'll regularly update customers until things return to normal."

He told the BBC that it was a "precautionary notice to boil in case there was any ingress into the water main when the damage occurred" but at the moment the company had "no evidence to suggest that's the case".

"We're taking samples in the area and they will all go to our laboratory and we will continue to monitor quality over the next couple of days," he said.

"The damage to the water main has been repaired overnight so supplies won't be interrupted and we hope that by no later than Saturday we will be able to lift the boil [notice] but that is on the proviso that we have clear sample results and there is no danger to public health."

Anglian Water said people could check their postcode to see if they were affected on the company's website.