UK households wake up on Christmas with no running water

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But homes in Hertfordshire and Wales remained without running water on Christmas Eve, respectively six and eight days since households first saw their taps run dry. In an update to customers at 9pm, the water company said: “Work continues throughout the night and we’re pleased to say that our efforts today to bring in water from other areas looks like it’s having a positive effect on the reservoir levels.” Appealing to customers with a newly restored supply to restrict their water use for drinking, cooking and cleaning, it asked people in the area not to use hosepipes or appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers. Affinity said it had reopened its bottled water station in Thorley Community Centre – but one resident complained on social media that the company had “run out”, adding: “Let’s hope Santa has some on his sleigh.” Another reported losing water again late on Saturday night after their supply had returned earlier, calling the situation “ridiculous” and saying sarcastically: “Happy Christmas.” In Wales, some 4,500 homes were hit by outages last Saturday. While the “overwhelming majority” of homes had supplies restored, there remained “a few local issues with intermittent or low pressure”, Welsh Water said in an update at 10pm on Christmas Eve.