UPDATE: Portsmouth water woes could continue for the weekend

Much of the city was left either without running water or a low-pressure supply this morning, Portsmouth Water said.

The incident impacted almost all areas of the city, with reports spanning from Hilsea to Southsea.

And although many homes affected now have water once again, a warning has gone out to residents to expect more disruption.

Ian Limb, of Portsmouth Water, said: ‘The rapid increase in temperature, from minus eight to eight degrees, caused ground movements that fractured a number of pipes. We have about 20 burst water mains in the area.

‘This is a large number of bursts. We had complaints from Southsea to Hilsea. The majority of Portsmouth are connected in some way or another.

‘The main part of the incident is done and has been dealt with but there will be isolated issues that we expect to be dealing with over the next 24 or 48 hours.‘

Reports of a fault started tricking through to the water company at 8.30am.

The firm said it had already prepared a contingency plan in preparation for the incident, with much of the supply restored by about 10.30am.

Engineers have been deployed across the city, re-routing water to bring the pressure back up.

Mr Limb thanked customers for their patience and urged anyone experiencing difficulties to contact Portsmouth Water and report it.

For help, call 023 9247 7999, see portsmouthwater.co.uk or search for ‘Portsmouth Water’ on Twitter or Facebook.