As the mercury climbed, tempers were becoming frayed as the absence of water supplies over a large part of Lynn stretched towards 30 hours.
A burst water main in Spring Lane, Gaywood, has caused at least 650 homes in The Woottons and surrounding areas to be without water since yesterday lunchtime.
Anglian Water today arranged for a delivery of bottled water to be taken to South Wootton Village Hall for people in the Woottons area
It could be collected, residents were told, from 1pm on Sunday. But the lorry with the water arrived late and nearly an hour later the queues hadn’t moved.
One angry woman who rang the Lynn News at 1.45pm said: “This is an absolute joke. I’m standing in a queue with about 150 people in front of me and another 30 behind, and the queue is probably the same from the other direction.
“It’s hot and I would keep myself hydrated – except I haven’t got any water.
“No-one is coming along to tell us what’s happening or how much water we can have or how much longer we’ve got to wait. It’s a complete shambles.
“I’ve heard we may be connected by 6pm this afternoon, but so many other deadlines have come and gone I’m not banking on that.”
Another woman told the Lynn News: “What a shambles! Anglian Water said there would be bottled water at 1pm.
“We arrived at 1pm and left empty handed at 2pm and went to the local supermarket and brought some.
“At 2pm AW said it would be at least another hour before the water was unloaded and ready to give out. I am on crutches and my husband has heart disease so standing in the full sun is not good for us.
“You would have thought the water company would wait until the were set up before telling customers to come and collect water. We were told we would have water by 2 now it has moved to 6pm. I just hope this does not happen again soon.”
Pictures taken by LibDem Gaywood county councillor Rob Colwell showed a queue for the water bottles at South Wootton Village Hall stretching down the street.
He said: “The water distribution at South Wootton Village Hall the queue for water was several hundred.
“Anglian Water told people to arrive at 1pm. They didn’t start giving out until nearly 2.30pm with vulnerable people queue in the sun!
“Vulnerable list was prioritised with home delivery. They only had two people undertaking this task but declined my offer of help.
Earlier Conservative borough councillor for The Woottons, Graham Middleton, and North Wootton Parish Council had given out 300 bottles of water at North Wootton Village Hall he had sourced from a wholesaler.
