Water supplies return to island as pipe fixed

A faulty pipe which cut off water supplies on parts of Bryher in the Isles of Scilly has been repaired.

South West Water (SWW) said its engineers had worked through the night to fix the issue and it hoped to have supplies back to normal by lunchtime on Thursday.

People on the island have told the BBC water supplies had returned for some properties who were experiencing issues, but some were still without water.

SWW, which set up a bottled water station on the island's quayside, said disruption would be experienced by some while the system returned to normal and it was sorry for any inconvenience caused.

A SWW spokesperson said: "We would like to thank the community on Bryher for their patience and understanding whilst we carried out repairs to a faulty pipe.

"We have been working through the night and hope to get water supplies back to normal by lunchtime today, although there may be some disruption while the system is recharging."

People living on the island said it was a relief to have supplies back on.

Chris Hopkins from Fraggle Rock Bar and Cafe said tourists were due to arrive on Bryher from St Mary on Thursday, so it was "good timing".

He added there had been some confusion in the island about what was going on and said the communication from SWW had not been great.

"I think they should have taken charge of the situation," Mr Hopkins added.

A SWW spokesperson said the company was sorry for communications not reaching customers quickly enough.

"We are now talking to them to make sure they are fully informed," they added.

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