THAMES Water says its engineers have worked through the night to fix the burst pipe near Witney that left hundreds of households without water or with low pressure yesterday.

Although the 18-inch pipe has been fixed, it may take some time for water supplies to return to normal, the company said.

READ MORE: Live updates as burst pipe leaves homes without water

The affected pipe had been feeding an underground reservoir in Worsham, between Witney and Burford. Water levels in the reservoir were starting to rise, but it was not yet full enough for Thames Water to restart its pumps. As a result, supplies for some households were still affected.

A company spokesman said: "We’re really sorry if you have low pressure or no water as a result, especially during this heatwave.

"We expect all supplies to be back on by mid-morning. In the meantime, we’re planning to open two bottled water stations – we’ll confirm where these are as soon as they’re up and running."

Last night, a bottled water station was open for around two hours at Burford School. It opened after 7pm – 11 hours after the leak was first reported off New Mill Lane, Witney – and shut at 9pm.

However, there was criticism about the time taken to set-up the facility, with one Oxford Mail reader labelling it ‘abysmal’.

Responding to the criticism about the 11-hour wait, Thames Water said it took time to ‘scout’ out a location for a water bottle station then get the permission of the landowner. It said its ‘priority service customers’, who require a regular supply of water for medical or other needs, had water delivered to them directly.

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @t_seaward