SCHOOLS, businesses and 5,000 homes were left without water after a main burst and then proved hard to access.

The burst affected thousands of homes and businesses in Pocklington from Monday night through much of Tuesday.

Many people were left without water for 20 hours. One man was injured while collecting bottled water, reportedly during a rush for supplies.

The company said at 5.45pm on Tuesday: "The repair to the burst water pipe is now complete and tap water will be restored to the majority of affected homes by early this evening."

The company has been providing bottled water at several collection points in the town.

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The company said the problem was caused by a burst water main which proved very difficult to locate, with dozens of trained technicians and engineers manually inspecting pipes throughout the area to find the location of the burst.

It was eventually found at about 1am on Tuesday under a drainage gulley in an isolated field.

A spokesman said: "We sincerely apologise to the customers in Pocklington and some surrounding areas who have been left without water for many hours.

Local mum Fliss Bird, 30, said she was at home with her three children aged two years, four years and six months old, and the most difficult things had been handwashing and preparing drinks for her older children, and she would have to take them to her parents' home in Huggate for bath time.

She said: "It's been a nightmare.

"You don't realise how many times a day you go to the tap until you get no water. I'm very lucky that my youngest is breastfeeding still, so I don't have to worry about sterilising or making formula."

Yorkshire Ambulance Service confirmed a man in his 70s was treated following an injury at The Oval where water was being handed out, but Mrs Bird said her experience of the shortage had been different.

She said: "Some of the schoolchildren have been out and going up to the lorries and getting wheelbarrows full of bottled water to take to homes in the area, so their parents must be really proud. The community has really pulled together, it's been amazing."

The burst led to the closure today of several schools in the area, including Pocklington Infants School and Woldgate School.