Water restored to estate – but residents can’t drink it yet

Hundreds of residents on an estate where pipes was ruptured have got their water back – but they cannot drink it.
A large portion of families living on the Loughborough Estate, Brixton, were without supplies for three weeks after a pressure surge damaged their network.
But contractors have now been able to repair the pipes so that locals can shower, bath, flush their toilets and wash their clothes at home. Many have been living in hotels as far away as Westminster while the problem was sorted out.
They will not be able to drink the water, though, until it has been repeatedly tested by scientists to make sure it adheres to safety standards.
All residents of the estate have been told they will receive the equivalent of two weeks’ rent as compensation, which is likely to cost the estate’s owners the Guinness Trust tens of thousands of pounds. But it is not immediately clear whether insurers will pay up or the building company which was working in the area at the time.
A spokeswoman for The Guinness Partnership said: “We are happy to say that water has now been restored to all blocks at Loughborough Park. We’d like to apologise again for the disruption our customers have experienced, and thank them for their patience and understanding as we’ve worked to restore the water supply.
“We will continue to supply bottled water for drinking until the water supply has been tested and we can confirm it is safe to drink.
“A disruption payment has been given to customers for the inconvenience and we are making arrangements for a further payment.
“Our estate staff remain available on site for any further assistance customers require.
“Our focus at the moment is on fully resolving the issues at Loughborough Park. As soon as we have done that we will complete a full technical review and put in place measures to mitigate this happening again.”