Water supplies were restored to hundreds of homes in Suffolk after a water main was damaged in Holbrook leaving residents cut off and four schools closed.

Annie Davidson

HUNDREDS of homes in Suffolk were left without water and four schools closed early after a mains pipe was damaged in Holbrook.

Anglian Water was alerted to the problem at 11.30am today and turned the water off for an hour before re-routing it and turning it back on.

About 45 homes were affected and children were sent home from Shotley Primary, Chelmondiston Primary, Holbrook Primary and Holbrook High.

The water supply was switched off again at 3pm while engineers worked to repair the damaged pipe and resume normal service, this time impacting on 400 homes.

A spokeswoman for Anglian Water said that water was back on by 9pm.

All four schools are expected to open as normal tomorrow, a spokeswoman for Suffolk County Council said.