An Ipswich man resorted to spending his birthday with his family in a Premier Inn, after his block of flats had their water supply cut off twice over a couple of days.

Arturas Klasinskis has lived in the Modus flats in Duke Street with his wife and 12-year-old son for eight years now and never had any previous issues.

On Friday, February 26, at 6pm the supply to the flat suddenly ceased, with residents on the third and fourth floor unable to flush their toilets or even run a tap.

The residents desperately called Flagship Homes and Anglian Water, only to be told the responsibility for the problem lay with owners Home from Home — however, the emergency number for Home from Home did not connect, leaving residents with no help.

Several Anglian Waters plumbers visited the building in the meantime but were unable to find the source of the issue.

The water did not get turned back on until 1pm on Saturday, leaving the flats without running water for a total of 19 hours. The same issue then happened again on Monday night, before being resolved.

Mr Arturas, who decided to leave for a hotel on Friday in an attempt to salvage his birthday, said: "I felt there was no urgency or apology from the people I rang for help that day.

"We got told by one man that it might have happened because 6pm is the time everyone gets home from work and puts the kettle on, which is an outrageous excuse.

"It is totally unacceptable to leave us with an emergency number that does not work."

Ipswich Star: Ipswich Borough Councillor for Holywells ward Liz HarsantIpswich Borough Councillor for Holywells ward Liz Harsant (Image: Cherry Beesley © 2019 Simply C Photography)

Liz Harsant, Ipswich Borough Councillor for Holywells ward, said: "I felt really sorry for these residents as some of them have babies and young children.

"They've really suffered a lot and I am very upset for them and how they've been treated."

Madeleine Jefferies, head of housing at Flagship Homes, said: "We are aware of the issue with the water supply which affected some of the flats at Duke Street.

"We understand that the cause was due to an airlock in the system, and we have worked together with Home from Home to fix the issue.

"Our housing team has been in touch with the affected customers, and we have compensated them for any inconvenience this may have caused."

In a letter to residents, Flagship said the emergency contact for Home from Home has now been updated.

Home from Home were contacted for comment.