Residents in a Nottinghamshire town have been forced to boil their tap water after being told it was infected with E.coli.

The owners of five houses on the Ramsdale Park estate in Arnold have been left without safe drinking water for more than three weeks.

An investigation by Gedling Borough Council revealed the potentially fatal bug was carried through old pipes to their homes.

But the problem could take weeks to resolve because there is confusion over who is responsible for replacing the pipes.

Private land

Water company Severn Trent says it is not their responsibility because the pipes are on private land, part of which is owned by a company called Primelife Plc.

Residents at Ramsdale Park fear they could end up picking up a bill to replace the pipes which could cost thousands.

One resident, Jean Collins, said she had been been left feeling "vulnerable".

She told the BBC's East Midlands Today programme: "When you go in the shower it's dreadful to think that you've got contaminated water going over your face.

"Sometimes the water slips in your mouth when you're having a shower and it makes you feel very vulnerable."

Mrs Collins and her husband Brian have been making three or four trips a week to their son's home nearby to stock up on bottles of water.

Daughter-in-law Gail Collins said: "My mother-in-law is disabled and needs to have someone around all the time.

"Not to have water is absolutely disgusting."

BBC News Online contacted Primelife Plc on Monday but the company declined to comment.