Shotley residents left without water after burst water main

The disruption, which began on Wednesday, has affected Shotley and raised growing concerns about ageing infrastructure and Anglian Water’s response.

Water has been cascading down Bristol Hill, and residents in Shotley Gate and Shotley Hamlet still experienced low pressure and no supply.

Peta Hillier, a Shotley resident, said: "In the Shotley peninsular they spent over a year putting down new water pipes but it didn’t go down to Shotley Gate and Hamlet which had led to pipes being burst.

"We feel it’s where the pressure from old pipes is meeting new pipes.

"We’ve tried to get in touch but it’s taken them so long to respond."

Ms Hillier said the lack of communication made the situation more frustrating.

She said: "They did fix it last night, but there was low water pressure then no water at all and they obviously needed to turn the water off but they then didn’t warn us the water was being switched off.

"We believe they need to update the pipes in our areas to stop this happening again.

"It’s not complaint about the workers as the engineer fixed it very quickly and efficiently it’s the policy that appears to be the issue.

"There’s lots of vulnerable people in the area so it was stressful, frustrating and you realise how much you rely on water."

Anglian Water said it is prioritising repairs and apologised to those affected.

Residents have been left without water (Image: Peta Hillier)

A spokesperson said: "We’re aware of a leak in Shotley and our teams are working to resolve the issue as quickly and safely as possible.

"Our teams work around the clock to identify and repair leaks as quickly as possible. Finding and fixing leaks is one of our biggest priorities. We currently have 245 people focused on finding and fixing leaks, including increased 24/7 standby and emergency response cover.

"We understand residents' frustration whenever leaks occur and we're sorry for the disruption caused."