A Labour MP has slammed South West Water for its response to a burst pipe that has left thousands of Devon properties without water.
The utilities firm, which is owned by Pennon Group, said around 9,500 properties in west Devon are still experiencing a loss of water supply or lower water pressure than usual.
Supplies were hit by a burst pipe on Monday and engineers are working to fix the problem.
Fred Thomas, Labour MP for Plymouth Moor View, said that residents being without water for more than 24 hours was “unacceptable” and said he had written to the company demanding urgent action, including compensation.
“The water outage is continuing to cause major disruption and chaos for residents across Plymouth, with thousands of people without water,” he said.
“We must do better in crisis situations like this to make sure residents can keep getting on with their lives.”
South West Water is responsible for the water supply and waste water treatment services throughout Devon and Cornwall and in small areas of Dorset and Somerset.
“We are carefully recharging the network to be able to fully restore supply to our customers,” a South West Water spokeswoman said.
“This is a large and complex system, and it needs to refill properly and safely before we can bring it fully back into supply. That’s why it may take a bit more time for all customers to see their water return.
“Our absolute priority is getting supplies back to everyone as quickly as we can, and we want to thank customers for their continued patience and understanding.
“We’ve prioritised support for our most vulnerable customers throughout and will continue to provide bottled water where it’s needed.
“Several bottled water stations remain open in the area for anyone who needs them while the system refills.”
Last year, a parasite outbreak in Brixham that meant households had to boil water for a number of weeks cost the owner of South West Water nearly £40m.
Exeter-based Pennon reported last month its reshaping and transformation programme had left it with a hefty bill. The company was compelled to clean and flush its water network 27 times, in addition to replacing sections of its grid.
