Severn Trent Water issued a warning on Friday 29 September 2017, to customers in the Tenbury Wells area of Worcestershire not to drink their water supply.
The ban came about as a result of a water pipe burst in a field in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, and the discovery that a small quantity of floodwater may have been sucked back into the pipe, polluting the drinking water. The ban on drinking water affected residents in the WR15 8 postcode or the SY8 4AU postcode.
The fears of contamination and ban on drinking tap water affected the supplies to approximately 2,000 properties.
Severn Trent advised affected customers not to use the water for drinking, preparing food or brushing teeth, but added that it was fine for bathing and flushing the toilet. They also advised that special care should be taken when bathing children and babies.
About 160,000 litres of bottled water was made available to individuals in the affected areas free of charge, and residents were advised to collect what they needed from the car park of Tenbury Swimming Pool or from the car park of Tenbury Community Hospital.
Amid the ban, Tenbury Primary School placed a notice on its website stating that it would be closed on Monday.
By Monday afternoon the company announced to its customers that the repair to that pipe had been completed, that a test of samples had passed the all-clear, and that its tap water was once again safe to use.
Severn Trent advised customers to run the cold tap for five minutes before consuming water and, as hot water tanks “may have stored poor quality water,†they should also run their hot water taps for 5 minutes before using.
Severn Trent apologised to its customers for the inconvenience and said that it would be crediting affected customers’ accounts by £25.
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