Thames Water apologises as Swindon schools close over burst water pipe
Year 10 mock exams in one school have been postponed due to disruption
Thames Water has apologised after a water pipe burst in Swindon, causing disruption to homes and schools.
Homeowners first reported having little to no water in the early hours of Wednesday morning (June 4th).
It was later discovered that a leak had been found in a pipe on Collard Close, despite this having reportedly been repaired just weeks prior.
As a result, two schools in the area have had to close their doors, telling pupils to stay at home.
The Commonweal Sixth Form School, as well as Lethbridge Primary School, said their students should avoid going to classes due to having no water.
In a statement, Charles Drew - headteacher at Commonweal Sixth Form - said that only students taking exams should be present at school.
"The school is therefore closed to all students today except those with external exams (GCSEs and A levels)," he said, "Year 10 Exams are postponed.
"Students with exams should come to school at the usual time and enter via the North Gate. All other students should stay at home and engage in remote learning."
Responding to the burst pipe, Thames Water apologised to local residents and businesses affected by the incident.
"We have temporarily restored supplies to the area while we expose the damaged section of main. When we have exposed this, we will use tankers to pump water into the network and keep your taps flowing," the business added.
Several tankers have been parked in the local area ready to distribute water to those who need it for several hours.
Thames Water said the incident will take up to 5 hours to complete, and apologised, adding: "We know how disruptive it is if you lose your water supply, so we’ll continue to work hard to get things back to normal as soon as we can."