TAP water in Tenbury is now safe to drink again.

Severn-Tent has said that tests now show that the water supply is safe.

For nearly three days people have been advised not to drink water from the tap because of possible contamination.

This followed a burst pipe and concern that floodwater may have got into the system.

Normal service was restored early this afternoon (Monday) but people were advised to run both cold and hot taps for five minutes.

There were in order of 150 volunteers who helped to distribute the 140,000 litres of bottled water that were delivered to the town.

People living in and around Tenbury were told not to drink water from the tap.

Severn Trent said that as a result of a burst pipe contaminated water had potentially got into the supply system with the possibility of making it dangerous.

Tens of thousands of litres of bottled water were brought into the town and collection points set up at Tenbury Hospital and in the vicinity of the swimming pool.

Officials from Severn-Tent issued a statement with strict guidelines:

“It can still be used for bathing and flushing the toilet, but take care when bathing young children in case they accidentally drink the bath water,” said Severn-Trent.

“We had a burst pipe in the area and we believe a small amount of floodwater may have gone back into the pipe.

“The repair to that pipe has now been completed and we're working to get everything back to normal. This might take a little while and that's why we're advising people not to drink their water as a precaution at this time. 

“We’re really sorry for the inconvenience this will cause and we’ll be working around the clock to get the issue resolved as quickly as possible.  However, we need to be absolutely sure that your water is great quality and so it may take us a couple of days before we can get things back to normal - once we have, we will of course let you know.

“The two water bottle collection points are open and we've got about 90,000 litres of bottled water available to anyone who's been affected.  We've also delivered bottled water to our priority customers who might not be able to get out or who need water for medical reasons.”

People living in the area that receive their water from Welsh Water were not affected and it is only Severn Trent customers that were affected.

Volunteers including Mark Willis, Mayor of Tenbury, helped with the distribution of the bottles of water on Saturday (September 30). The Salvation Army also opened a station on the car park by the swimming pool.

Some people used carrier bags whilst others used carts and wheelbarrows to take away the bottled water.

People who had drunk the potentially contaminated water and felt unwell have been advised to contact their GP or the NHS out of hours services if appropriate.

Whilst the detail of the potential contamination was not revealed people were warned that they should not even use tap water to wash dishes or other eating or drinking utensils. This also includes not using dish washers.

Severn Trent also advised people not to use mains water for pets or livestock.

People were also told not to use tap water when cleaning their teeth. 

The advice on the use of washing machines was that they can be used but to use a hot water cycle.

People were told that they can use mains water to wash, have a bath of to take a shower but that they must take care not to get any water in their mouth.

Residents were warned that tap water should also not be used for cleaning wounds.