The battle to get compensation following a major Dereham water leak continues after it caused chaos for more than 1,000 properties.
A burst main on Girling Road in Dereham on May 24 left many people in and around the town without running water.
Supply was not fully restored until two days later as temperatures reached highs of more than 30C.
Locals expressed their frustration about the lack of communication and delivery of bottled water to care homes and vulnerable people.
Mark Thurston, the chief executive of Anglian Water (Image: Anglian Water)
Mark Thurston, chief executive of Anglian Water, issued an apology for the failings and said lessons had been learnt.
But the company added that most customers were not eligible for compensation due to not being without water for more than 12 consecutive hours and only those on the Tier 1 Priority Service were eligible for a £100 payment.
George Freeman, MP for Mid Norfolk, and Alison Webb, councillor for Dereham North and Scarning, challenged Anglian Water's stance.
In an open letter, they expressed "a lack of confidence" in the facts, with questions raised about the specific number of affected properties and when each one was restored to normal.
Anglian Water said that most customers did not meet the criteria for compensation (Image: Newsquest)
Mr Thurston confirmed that, on May 24, more than 1,700 properties were affected for an hour before water supply returned.
He added that there was a further high-lift pump failure in the early hours of the following morning, but reviews found that the longest verified interruption to supply did not exceed 12 hours.
Mr Thurston acknowledged the disruption caused, but said the criteria for compensation under the Guaranteed Standards Scheme (GSS) had not been met.
He added in a new letter: "Whilst we remain satisfied that the criteria for compensation under the GSS were not met, we recognise that this assessment may not fully reflect the experience of customers affected by the events over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Councillor Alison Webb said the matter would be escalated further (Image: Breckland)
"As explained in my previous response, we have implemented a number of improvements to strengthen our operational resilience and support arrangements as a direct result of the lessons learned during this incident.
"In addition, we welcome the opportunity for Anglian Water representatives to meet with Breckland Council Overview and Scrutiny Commission to discuss the incident as well as lessons learned and actions taken since the event".
Councillor Webb confirmed that the matter will be escalated to the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) and with OFWAT if the decision is not reversed.
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