13,000 homes affected by burst water main

A burst pipe is affecting the water supply for about 13,000 properties in the Plymouth area, South West Water (SWW) has said.

SWW said customers in the postcode areas of PL6, PL19 and PL20 may be experiencing a loss of supply or lower water pressure than usual.

SWW has set up water collection points for customers experiencing interruptions and said it had delivered bottled water to its most vulnerable customers.

A spokesperson for SWW said the utility was "very sorry for the disruption" and its team had been working through the night to restore supply as quickly as possible.

The two water collection points are at The George Park and Ride, Tavistock Road, PL6 7HB and Bere Alston Bowling Club, Bedford Street, Bere Alston, PL20 7DZ.

SWW said the water would be available for collection between 08:00 BST and 22:00.

The spokesperson said: "There are around 13,000 properties potentially impacted with low pressure or outage.

"We really are very sorry about this but I really would like our customers to be reassured we are doing everything possible to sort this out."

One resident collecting bottles of water at The George said SWW had increased bills and needed to provide a better service.

He told the BBC: "They're [SWW] charging us quite a bit of money and this year it's gone up again and you've got the problems with the drainage into the sea and you've got this lack of water - it's just broken pipes."

Another resident shared a similar view and said: "It's annoying, we pay enough for the water rates, don't we?

"They've [SWW] always got problems. Let's hope they get it sorted out quite soon."

A local woman referred to the cryptosporidiosis issue the water firm had in May 2024 and the response to the problem from SWW boss Susan Davy.

The woman said: "South West Water strikes again. I'd like to see the woman actually turn out and say something but somehow I don't think that's going to happen - yet again."

Fred Thomas, MP for Plymouth Moor View, who represents affected households, called for SWW to do more for residents.

He said the company should "open more bottled water distribution sites so residents don't need to drive" to collect them.

He also asked the firm to confirm which schools would be affected on Tuesday and what compensation packages for affected customers would look like.

He added: "SWW, ensure you have delivered to every vulnerable or higher needs household by 18:00 BST today.

"Update us on the timeline, will this be sorted today?"

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