East London ‘major burst’ pipe leaves homes without water

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]]> Residents across large parts of east London have been without water following a “major burst” in a pipe.

People in nine postcodes had no water or low pressure after a main ruptured in Hackney Marshes on Tuesday afternoon, Thames Water said.

Some locals complained that bottled water in shops had sold out and that being unable to wash their hands created a coronavirus risk.

Thames Water said it expected supplies to

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The 42in (106cm) diameter pipe burst in a woodland area in Hackney Marshes, causing problems in surrounding areas including Barking, Forest Gate, Leytonstone, Ilford, Plaistow and Stratford.

The company said engineers had been working throughout the night and tankers had been used to pump water into the system which had meant pressure was “starting to build across our network”.

“It’s likely some homes will continue to experience low pressure and this may come and go, particularly during the period of high demand early this morning,” it said.

The firm added it expected “supplies to improve as we move towards midday”.

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image copyrightPA Media image captionThames Water has apologised for the lack of running water

People on Twitter said shelves in some shops had been cleared of bottled water and reported panic buying in supermarkets on Tuesday evening.

One tweeted: “Family members coming back from work struggling to at least wash their hands. Supermarkets and shops are being emptied by those who have cars and can get quantities of bottles of water.”

Thames Water apologised for the lack of running water, saying it “absolutely realise how worrying and inconvenient this disruption is, particularly at this difficult time”.

It added it was prioritising vulnerable customers by delivering water to them while sites for providing bottled water were being set up.

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