RESIDENTS on a Worcester estate are sick of being left high and dry, with water supplies switched off four times last week alone.

Ronkswood resident Kim Weston claims the latest shutdowns have left houses in the area without water on eight separate occasions during June and July.

Severn Trent says it was down to "pump failure", but the mother-of-three said the turn off, coupled with a continuing problem of low water pressure, was making everyday chores "extremely difficult", especially during the heatwave.

The 35-year-old, of Canterbury Road, said, on some occasions, supplies had been cut for more than five hours.

"What's most annoying is that on no occasion has Severn Trent ever given us any prior warning that they're going to shut off supplies," she said.

"If you phone Severn Trent you just get an answerphone message stating they're aware of the problem.

"And when I have got water, I can't have a shower and run the washing machine at the same time, because the water just comes out in a trickle."

Several other estate residents have contacted the Evening News about the ongoing problems.

Andrew Scott, of Ripon Road, said he had not been able to have a shower at night on several occasions.

While another resident, who asked not to be named, said warming a bottle for her young baby had proved to be a real nightmare.

A spokeswoman for Severn Trent Water said the latest incidents had been caused by faulty equipment.

"The recent problems were caused by a pump failure at our Newtown pumping station and we had to carry out necessary repair work," she said.

"We do apologise to residents. We tried to get the work done as quickly as possible. We realise it would have been terribly inconvenient."

A power station failure, which in turn affected its pumps, accounted for another previous cuts to supplies.

The spokeswoman said the service should be back to normal today.

Anyone suffering from low water pressure can contact the company on 0800 7834444.