Sponge baths for Leamington students after burst pipe leaves hundreds without water

Dry January took on a more literal meaning this morning after a burst pipe left hundreds of students in Leamington Spa without running water.

A notice sent out by water company Severn Trent at around 7am acknowledged reports of “no supply, low pressure, or discoloured water”, which it subsequently attributed to a burst water pipe.

The company said that it was working to fix the issue, but that in the meantime water supplies were being rerouted to ensure services were unaffected.

Despite this, dozens of Leamington students reportedly woke up to either unusably low water pressure, or no running water at all.

Many complained they were unable to shower, whilst one student related having to use a sponge to wash themselves instead

Many complained they were unable to shower, whilst one student related having to use a sponge to wash themselves instead. Another was forced to wait until they got to campus before they could use a toilet.

For others, water coming out of taps was coloured yellow or brown, with residents refusing to drink the tap water as a result. By the afternoon, several Leamington shops had apparently sold out of bottled water.

The disruption additionally led to the closure of seven schools in Leamington Spa, over health and safety concerns.

A map posted by Warwick and Leamington MP Matt Western in the morning suggested that only areas south of the Leamington river were affected. However, The Boar is aware of multiple houses in north Leamington that were at some point without water or water pressure.

Customers may experience some slight discolouration of their water while we complete this repair, but this is nothing to be worried about

Severn Trent spokesperson

Speaking to The Boar, a spokesperson for Severn Trent apologised for any disruption caused, adding that water services were now back to normal and safe to drink.

They said: “We’d like to apologise to customers in Leamington whose supplies were affected earlier today. Everyone’s water is back on, and the issue was caused by a burst water pipe. Our engineers are now focusing on getting everything repaired and back to normal as quickly as possible.

“Customers may experience some slight discolouration of their water while we complete this repair, but this is nothing to be worried about and should clear on its own by gently running the tap for a few minutes.”