Portsmouth residents left without water for three days '“ and have to use a portable toilet in their car park

Residents of the block of flats at Finchdean Gardens, in Milton, Portsmouth, have resorted to using wet wipes to wash, brushing their teeth at school and work and buying litres of bottled water.

It is thought a burst pipe or pump has left the dozens of properties, many of which house families, with no access to water. One person had sewage seep into her ground-floor flat.

Housing association Guinness Partnership said they are doing everything they can to offer support.

Liz Sweeney, 30, lives at the block with her nine-year-old son and disabled husband.

She said: '˜Initially, I thought I had forgotten to pay my water bill but my neighbours had the same issue.

'˜Sometimes the water works for a few minutes but there is no permanent fix. There are now portable loos in the car park which makes me think the issue isn't going to be sorted any time soon.

'˜I have been forced to wash my son with wet wipes and he had to brush his teeth at school as I don't want him to be smelly or dirty.

'˜We have had to buy bottled water for everything because Guinness aren't providing enough. I cannot do any washing, flush the toilet or wash up dishes without getting through lots of bottles.'

Residents have been offered hotel accommodation but many have pets which they cannot take. For others, the alternative is too far away from their children's school.

One 52-year-old resident said: '˜It is disgusting. Guinness are now doing what they can to help but there are no updates.''‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹

A spokeswoman for The Guinness Partnership said: '˜'We are sorry for the intermittent water supply at Finchdean Gardens, and we are working hard with our contractors to resolve the issue.

'˜We are doing everything we can to support our customers, including visiting every home, providing bottled drinking water and supplying portable toilets.

'˜We have also offered customers the option of hotel accommodation while the problem is fixed. We would like to thank residents for their patience while the water supply is restored.'