MORE than 400 homes were left without water on Tuesday morning after a reservoir ran dry.

People living in the Bolton Road, Leigh Road and Manchester Road areas of Westhoughton awoke to find their taps empty just before 7am.

Water company United Utilities quickly sent engineers to the area to identify the cause of the problem, which was at first thought to have been caused by a burst main.

But it was then established that high demand for water in the area on Monday due to the hot weather had drained the local reservoir.

The water company had been doing maintenance on the reservoir, reducing the water level to allow work to be carried out.

A spokeswoman for United Utilities said that normally there would be enough water left to cope with demand in the morning, but the hot weather meant more was used than usual.

The reservoir was refilled once the problem came to light, but was too late for people eating breakfast or washing.

"We apologise to our customers who have been affected," said the Untied Utilites spokeswoman.

Those affected included Sacred Heart RC Primary School and Westhoughton Primary School on Central Drive, although nearby Westhoughton High School did not lose its supply.

Children turned up for lessons at the primary schools as normal, while teaching staff prepared to send them home again if the water was not put back on during the morning. The supply was re-established before lunchtime.

Some residents had to leave for work having been unable to have a cup of tea or get washed.

One householder told the Bolton Evening News: "We woke up this morning to get ready for work and were shocked to find there was no water anywhere in the house.

"We had to resort to using baby wipes to freshen up."