Devon residents without water to receive £200 compensation, says MP

Thousands of residents in Devon who are without water will receive £200 compensation after a burst pipe affected supplies, a local MP has said.

South West Water (SWW) said around 9,500 properties in the Torquay area were still experiencing a loss of water supply or lower water pressure than usual after the pipe burst on Monday.

Fred Thomas, Labour MP for Plymouth Moor View, said in a series of posts on X that all water supply would return “first thing” on Wednesday morning.

He said he had spoken to SWW chief executive Susan Davy and “demanded a clear timeline” on the efforts to restore the water, and was told the pipe was now fixed.

Mr Thomas said: “I demanded a fair compensation package for residents and business. Susan tells me SWW will put £200 credit into the account of all household customers. Businesses will have bespoke compensation packages to be determined. Any businesses are welcome to email me for support with that.”

The MP added he would continue to monitor the situation as he aimed to “hold the big companies to account” for his constituents.

A spokeswoman for SWW said: “We are carefully recharging the network to be able to fully restore supply to our customers.

“This is a large and complex system, and it needs to refill properly and safely before we can bring it fully back into supply.

“That’s why it may take a bit more time for all customers to see their water return.

“Our absolute priority is getting supplies back to everyone as quickly as we can, and we want to thank customers for their continued patience and understanding.

“We’ve prioritised support for our most vulnerable customers throughout and will continue to provide bottled water where it’s needed.

“Several bottled water stations remain open in the area for anyone who needs them while the system refills.”

Mr Thomas had earlier said that residents being without water for more than 24 hours was “unacceptable” and that he had written to SWW demanding urgent action as he thought “we must do better in crisis situations like this”.