TAP water turned brown this week for many residents in the local area.

Members of the Romsey News and Information Facebook group have taken to social media this week to find out why their tap water had turned brown.

Some residents also said they had been confused when they found several bottles of bottled water on their doorsteps as not everyone had experienced a water supply issue.

The issue had mainly affected those in the SO5 postcode area covering Valley Park and Chandlers Ford but surrounding areas such as parts of Romsey and Swaythling also reported issues with discolouration and pressure.

Southern Water stated they had sent workers out to homes to carry out sample tests as a precaution but the water had been deemed safe to consume.

Southern Water posted to social media to say: “If you live in the SO area and are experiencing discolouration to your supply, this will normally clear after running the water for a few minutes.

“We’re sorry again for the disruption and working as quickly as possible to get things back to normal.”

Bottles of water are often given to customers who have registered on the Southern Water Priority Services list and are experiencing supply issues. The list includes anyone who is chronically ill or has a long-term medical condition. Those who have hearing or visual impairment or other communication needs, have children under the age of five living in the home or those who have a mental health condition that causes difficulty in understanding bills.

Despite the colour of the water, the water supplier says it is not considered harmful and the colour change often occurs when water pressure is low.

A spokesperson for Southern Water said: “We delivered water to residents on the Priority Service Register in some SO postcodes this week as a matter of precaution.

“We experienced a technical issue at our Testwood Water Supply Works and while onsite crew have rectified the issue and have avoided any loss of supply.

“We wanted to be proactive and prepared.

“Some homes experienced a short period of low water pressure, which can cause discolouration of water – the advice during this time was to run the taps to help water run clear but that it was ok to use water as normal. The discolouration was not a sign of harmful contamination."