It may be the end of the week before tap water in the area is drinkable, the company said. Until then, it will continue to deliver bottled water.
Water quality problems were attributed to a broken water pipe at a treated water storage reservoir, which allowed groundwater to enter the network. According to the company, the pipe has been fixed and it will be flushing the affected part of the network into next week.
In a statement Severn Trent advised affected customers to boil tap water before use in food preparation or cleaning teeth. It added: “We will inform householders by letter of any change to this advice. At this stage, we expect that these measures are likely to be needed until the end of next week”.