Ceredigion residents have been left without water for six days during an extended heatwave.

A burst water main stopped water coming out of taps in Llanarth on Wednesday 15 July.

Water company Dwr Cymru/ Welsh Water said due to the significant difficulty in locating and then fixing the pipe, it wouldn’t be fixed until Tuesday 21 July.

Meanwhile, residents have been struggling in hot conditions without running water, unable to wash, keep themselves and animals cool or even flush toilets.

Scenes from Pencae - empty bottles in a bathroom, and an empty rainwater butt.
Scenes from Pencae - empty bottles in a bathroom, and an empty rainwater butt. (Anonymous)

One Pencae resident who did not want to be named is struggling to keep their house and hands clean enough for their immunocompromised daughter.

The resident said: “Six days without water should be treated as an emergency situation, yet people are still being told to go and buy water!

“I understand that Dwr Cymru are working tirelessly to repair the leak, but the level of physical support we have all received is an utter disgrace and is now getting dangerous.

“Our waterbutts are all empty so we can no longer flush toilets and basic hygiene is becoming increasingly difficult.”

Their daughter has Lupus and is required to take immunosuppressant drugs weekly, which increases her risk of infection.

The family recieved 12 bottles of water from Dwr Cymru on the second day, and a further 36 on the fifth day, but the situation is forcing the 82-year-old father to go down to a stream described as a “trickle” to fill buckets for flushing toilets: “We are all terrified of using the water we were given for anything other than drinking, as we have been assured every day that the water will be back on.

“I have no idea how those with animals are managing.”

The family have inquired about compensation for the bottled water and takeaways needed.

The Dwr Cymru website is currently listing issues with water pressure or no water across New Quay, Llanybydder, Lampeter, Tregaron, Ystrad Meurig and Llanarth, whilst residents tackle the daily challenges of a three-week-long heatwave.

Temperatures remained in the mid-20s across last week, and forecast rain now seems to be clearing, with more sun anticipated over the weekend.

A burst watermain is also currently affecting the area of Llandysul.

A Dwr Cymru spokesperson said: “We apologise to customers in Pencae, Llanarth, for the interruptions they have had in their water supply in recent days.

“There was a burst water main in the area that proved very difficult to locate. It was found in a heavily overgrown wooded area.

“We have temporarily bypassed the leak via an overland pipe, and this has been refilling the system since last night (Sunday).

“This has restored water supply to the vast majority of customers in the area.

“Some customers at higher points may still have intermittent supply or low pressure, but we expect all customers to be back in supply later today (Monday).

“We are doing another round of bottled water deliveries today, prioritising the customers who may take longest to come back on.”