HUNDREDS of residents in the Deane area were left without water for several hours yesterday.

For years the people in the area have been complaining about discoloured tap water. But now they claim that efforts by North West Water to improve the situation has made things worse.

Stephen Howse of Alberta Street claims that new pipes have blown twice in just over a week.

The most recent burst on the mains was yesterday in Lanchester Drive, and from 6am until the mid afternoon residents had to put up with discoloured water - which Mr Howse described as "black mud" - or no water at all.

"It's one disaster after another around here," Mr Howse stormed. "The water company go on and on about saving money by stopping leaks and they cause these themselves. It's just shoddy work."

Just over two weeks ago Mr Howse's stopcock burst, flooding the downstairs of his home with four inches of water. The carpets were ruined.

The burst on the mains yesterday caused holes to appear in the road and at one point a pavement rose up four inches as the force of the flood lifted it.

"We've had to put up with brown water for years and this was supposed to have solved the problem - but it's just making it worse. The water that was coming out of my tap was black mud - it just plopped out of the tap."

A North West Water spokesman said Bolton had many old water pipes, but they would be spending millions of pounds this year alone on refurbishment.

She explained that yesterday a main pipe in Gibbon Street was being replaced and the main had been turned off to carry out the refurbishment.

However, she said reports quickly came in that residents were without water and the work was stopped.

Later a burst main was reported in Lanchester Drive. She said rumours suggesting that the pipe had burst because of faulty welding were unfounded and that engineers suspected the burst to have been caused by a valve.

She added that most people had had their water turned back on by yesterday afternoon.

"We apologise for any inconvenience while this refurbishment work is carried out and would ask residents to bear with us as it will be to their benefit eventually."

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