Bottle stations set up after homes lose water

Bottled water has been provided to households in parts of west Cornwall that were left without water.

In an X post at 19:30 GMT on Friday, South West Water (SWW) said some customers in the St Ives to Nancledra area had low pressure or no supply as engineers carried out "emergency repairs" to a pump at Trevethow.

Bottled water stations were set up at Trenwith car park in St Ives and The Engine Inn in Nancledra while 690 customers on SWW's priority services register received bottle deliveries.

A SWW spokesperson said at about 16:30 that the network was "back up and running" and the bottle stations would be closed by the evening.

The water company apologised for the disruption.

The spokesperson said its customer service centre had received 188 calls in relation to the issue.

"Following essential repairs to a pump, the network is refilling and recharging," they added.

"This has to be done slowly and carefully to avoid too much pressure in the pipes."

Simon Joyce, who manages By The Beagle in St Ives, said the shop had sold out of bottled water on Friday night.

"Most people aren't panic buying, they are just trying to make sure their households are OK and that they've got enough to get through until the supply is back," he said.

Joyce added that people in the area had been looking out for each other.

He said: "It's been nice to see the community pulling together checking on neighbours and helping each other out."

SWW said a separate issue had also been reported nearby in the Hayle area with engineers repairing a burst.

It said the burst had been repaired and the majority of customers had supplies back.

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