Mains supplies were lost to 140,000 homes after the floods

But the company reminded customers that the water must not be drunk, even after boiling, until further notice.

Taps to the homes ran dry when the Mythe treatment works near Tewskesbury flooded on 22 July.

The A38 near the works has been closed until Thursday afternoon so temporary flood barriers can be removed.

Acting Assistant Chief Constable Steve Ackland said: "These were put in place at the beginning of this crisis.

"I can reassure members of the public that these have now been replaced by more substantial structures which will remain in place until a more permanent solution is found."

We will guarantee availability of millions of litres of bottled water every day for as long as the incident continues Martin Kane, Severn Trent Flood toll around the country

Martin Kane, Severn Trent's director of customer services, added: "All customers affected by the shutdown of Mythe water treatment works now have a supply.

"However, some customers at the edge of the network served by Mythe may be suffering some interruptions or low water pressure."

He said the restored supply was safe only for showering, bathing, flushing toilets and washing clothes.

"We are sampling tap water intensively to ensure we can get customers back onto a drinkable supply as soon as possible next week.

"Water for drinking will still be widely available from bowsers and bottled water distribution points and we will guarantee availability of millions of litres of bottled water every day for as long as the incident continues."

Customers, especially the elderly, are being warned against the heightened risk of bogus callers.

Genuine Severn Trent employees would not mind waiting while identity checks were carried out by the homeowner, the company said.