Water restored for 15,000 Scottish families

Fifteen thousand Scottish homes left without water after a mains pipe burst had their supply restored yesterday in time for Christmas dinner.

Fifteen thousand Scottish homes left without water after a mains pipe burst had their supply restored yesterday in time for Christmas dinner.

Emergency engineering teams worked through the night to restore supplies by 6am yesterday after the taps ran dry on Christmas Eve. An overnight water distribution programme supplied 100,000 litres of bottled water to homes in less than 10 hours.

Scottish Water said that 200 workers took up to 15 hours during the night to reconnect the supply in Tullibody, Clackmannanshire, Alloa, Fishcross, Sauchie, Cambus and Glenochil. It was lost after the 21in water main in Tullibody burst. The water board fielded 3,000 calls from residents.

Scottish Water warned that water pressure would be low for a while as water was introduced back into the pipe gradually, to prevent another burst. The board also reassured households that any discoloured water that might flow through the pipes was not harmful.

A spokeswoman from Scottish Water said the cause of the burst was not known. "Unfortunately, we have inherited a system which has not been upgraded since Victorian times and we get bursts every day," she said.

"It was a case of bad timing with this one, as so many people – both at home and those who were working to fix it – were inconvenienced."