Thousands of homes have been without water throughout the weekend, with some in London told not to expect have running water in their houses until midnight on Tuesday. Many have been without working taps since Saturday morning.

Households across London and south east England have been told to use as little water as possible - after extreme weather caused burst pipes.

Thames Water said around 20,000 homes were left with no running water following the recent deep freeze and thaw, while several water companies said they were also tackling multiple bursts on their networks.

Four companies - Thames Water, South East Water, Southern Water and Affinity Water - urged customers who do have running water only to use it where essential.

In a joint statement, they said: "Where possible, take short showers rather than baths, do not leave taps running unnecessarily and only run washing machines and dish washers when you have a full load.

"This will make a real difference."

The problem spread to Staffordshire and other parts of the Midlands on Sunday.

South Staffordshire water tweeted: "Please do not use water for anything that isn't essential. We are experiencing very high levels of demand for water due to multiple bursts & leaks across our entire network. If you’re experiencing low pressure or no water at all, we’d like to reassure you we’re doing all we can."