Sheldon and Yardley homes lose water during repairs

Households in Sheldon and Yardley were left without water, or with low pressure or discoloured water, on Monday while Severn Trent carried out repairs.

The company said the essential work in the B26 postcode area had not been expected to affect customers, but that some supplies had been hit.

"We'd like to apologise"

A Severn Trent spokesperson said: "We'd like to apologise to those experiencing no supply, poor pressure or discoloured water in the B26 area of Birmingham this morning."

"Our teams are carrying out some essential repair work. Although we didn't anticipate this affecting our customers, we are aware that some customers' supplies have now been impacted. The team on site are committed to getting this resolved quickly and efficiently so the water supply is back to normal as soon as possible."

In an update at 2.44pm, the company said the work was taking longer than expected. Updates are posted on the Severn Trent website, where customers can check for problems by entering their postcode.

What to do if your water is discoloured

Discoloured water is common after repairs, when the change in flow disturbs harmless sediment that settles in the pipes. Water companies usually advise:

• running the cold tap nearest to the stopcock, usually the kitchen tap, at a steady rate until the water runs clear
• avoiding using washing machines and dishwashers until it clears, to prevent staining
• contacting the water company if the water does not clear after about 20 minutes, or if it smells or tastes unusual

Help for vulnerable customers

When supplies are interrupted for a long time, water companies hand out bottled water and give priority to customers on their priority services register. That free register is open to people who are elderly, disabled, seriously ill, have young babies or rely on water for medical reasons. Severn Trent customers can sign up through its website or by phone.

Compensation

Under the Guaranteed Standards Scheme, households can be entitled to automatic compensation if their supply is interrupted for longer than set periods without proper notice. The amounts depend on how long the interruption lasted.

A dry autumn

The repairs came during a prolonged dry spell. The region remains officially in drought after one of the driest years on record, and reservoir storage across England is well below normal for the time of year. Severn Trent has not introduced a hosepipe ban, but has asked customers to keep using water wisely while the Environment Agency says sustained rain is needed before supplies can recover.

Leaks and bursts are a constant challenge for every water company, particularly on older parts of the network, and repairs often have to be made quickly once a fault is found.