A third bottled water bank will be opened after parts of Oxford have been left with no running taps.

Thames Water said that "technical issues" following planned work to upgrade a mains water pipe in Headington have caused a water outage for some postcodes.

The water company believes they identified the problem at around 3pm but warned customers it may take 24 hours for water to start flowing again.

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Two bottled water banks were initially set up nearby in the car parks of Oxford Thornhill Park & Ride and in the Waitrose car park in Headington on London Road.

A third bottled water bank at the Oxsrad Sports & Leisure Centre in Court Place Farm, Marsh Lane is due to open at 4pm.

The Headington water bank was forced closed for a number of hours with Thames Water announcing at around 12.30pm it would be closed until 2pm until it replenished its stock.

Pictures shared with the Oxford Mail show cars queuing in the car park while stewards can be seen carrying packs of bottled water.

The three bottled water banks will be open until 9pm tonight (Friday, April 26).

Councillor for Quarry and Risinghurst, Roz Smith said: "Water pressure has been low in the Headington area since early this morning, with some homes without water entirely.

"I am concerned for those without water in sheltered accommodation, like Douglas Veale House, as they need water to take medicines."

A Thames Water spokesperson said: “We’re very sorry to customers in the Headington area who are experiencing low pressure or no water. This is due to technical issues following planned work to upgrade a mains water pipe. 

“We think we've now identified the cause of the problem and are doing some final checks. We hope that customers' water will start coming back this evening, but it may take up to 24 hours before everyone is back in supply. 

“We’re working hard to get things back to normal as soon as we can and will update customers as soon as we know more.”

It comes after troubled Thames Water put forward new plans to boost spending and investment in its network, but warned this could see customer bills surge by 44 per cent.

The group, which is battling to survive amid a funding crisis, proposed increasing spending by £1.1 billion and revealed another potential £1.9 billion investment in its network as part of new business plans to regulator Ofwat.

The utility giant – Britain’s biggest water firm, with 16 million customers in London and the Thames Valley region – said its new business plan for the five years to 2030 would see spending rise to £19.8 billion, with the extra being used for environmental projects.

This increased spend would see bills rise largely in line with the previous plans for a 40% rise over the five years.

But it added that the possible extra £1.9 billion investment would see average customer bills increase by another £19 over the five years – or around 44%.

If Ofwat was to give the full plans the go-ahead, this would see customer bills rise to £627 a year by 2030.