Anger after days of water supply issues

Residents and businesses in part of Cornwall are "incensed" their water supplies have not been working properly for nearly two weeks.

Taps have been running at low pressure or not at all in the St Eval area near Newquay since 19 July.

One cafe owner said he had been forced to close his business when the supply stopped, and it had cost him "thousands".

South West Water (SWW) said it was repairing a nearby dam and was using water trucks to boost pressure.

Michelle Turney lives in St Eval and her taps ran completely dry on 19 July and have been running intermittently since then.

She said there had been no communication from SWW to explain and "trying to phone them is a nightmare".

"I added it up last night and I'm incensed - £450.24 so far this year I've paid."

She said she believed a refund should be offered and said it "won't solve what happened but it will put a little bit of balm on the wound".

Scott Archer, who runs the Carnewas Tea Room, at Bedruthan Steps beauty spot, near St Eval, said: "We've been running out of water for the last three mornings...

"All the machines, coffee machines, dishwashers, toilets, we can't even wash our hands so we've had to just stop basically."

He was forced to close the cafe completely when there was no water, and said costs were running "into the thousands"

South West Water said: "We are carrying out essential maintenance to the Bears Down service reservoir near Newquay.

"As demand has also increased due to the recent hot weather, some customers have been experiencing intermittent supply issues, such as low pressure or no water during peak periods.

"We have tankers out around the network to boost pressure in the area and help to return supply to normal as we look to compete the work as quickly as possible."

The MP for North Cornwall said villagers deserved compensation.

Ben Maguire, Liberal Democrat, said the shortages were a "complete disgrace".

He said: "Local people haven’t been able to rely on a proper water supply for days now, businesses are suffering and there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight."

Mr Maguire added he was calling on SWW to "get a grip" and "make sure everyone has access to a reasonable water supply in the interim and speed up getting this sorted once and for all".

“I won’t let this one go until people have a reliable connection and are properly compensated for the significant inconvenience.”