UK Flood victims 'face two weeks without mains water'

More than 340,000 people hit by the recent flooding face up to two weeks without access to clean water in their homes, raising concerns about hygiene and sanitation.

Severn Trent Water said 140,000 properties across Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and Gloucester were left without water after a local treatment centre flooded.

Mythe water treatment works near Tewkesbury was shut down on Sunday after it was submerged by flood water.

Homeowners were urged to use water sparingly and advised to keep their homes as clean as possible.

Four hundred bowsers have been set up in the area to provide clean water and these are constantly refilled by a fleet of 40 tankers working round the clock.

Severn Trent has also sourced bottled water from around the country to try to give customers four litres of drinking water a day.

Yesterday, they handed out one million litres – today they hope to increase distribution to three million litres.

A spokesman for Severn Trent said it was estimated that there were 340,000 customers spread across the 140,000 properties.

“We do not expect water supplies to be restored for seven to 14 days because it depends on when we can get our water treatment works up and running,” he said.

“We are recommending people use water as sparingly as possible. They need to observe good hygiene – washing hands and things like that.

“We would ask people to be patient, look after their neighbours and keep that community spirit which has been so good so far.”

The Severn Trent spokesman said the company was hoping to access the Mythe centre today after the Environment Agency said the river flow in the area had peaked.