A MAJOR firm has been branded “reckless” after it supplied hundreds of homes water unfit for human consumption and flooded a motorway.

Southern Water gave 224 homes across Dibden Purlieu, Blackfield, Holbury and Marchwood rusty water, while supplying 120 properties in Hillyfields water with non-governmental standards of iron and manganese in it in October 2015.

Southampton Magistrates’ Court heard the company were under “financial and time pressures” to complete work at the new Lidl Distribution Centre in Nursling which led to the leak that caused the flooding and water contamination.

The firm was accused of being “reckless” by the Drink Water Inspectorate (DWI)’s prosecutor, after it agreed to divert water supplies underneath the depot to allow builders to continue work on the site.

When an old joint burst on October 29 of that year, the M271 and nearby roads were flooded, causing severe delays to road users.

Prosecutor Richard Banwell told the court a valve was then used to stop the leak, but it created discolouration of domestic supplies in the area due to rusty insides of the piping.

The case was bought before magistrates by the DWI.

Mr Banwell, acting on behalf of DWI, said Southern Water was under “very significant pressure to complete the work and meet deadlines” and that it took a “cavalier approach” to its planning”.

The court heard that 224 customers complained of discoloured water.

The water was described by Caroline Bligh, who works at Marchwood Dental Practice, as “very brown, rusty and tasting metallic”.

However, representatives of Southern Water continued to tell the public “it was safe to drink.”

Mitigating, Syam Ventum said the problem had lasted “a matter of hours” for some but three days in other cases.

Mr Ventum added that no one complained of being ill as a result of drinking the discoloured water.

Southern Water admitted supplying water that was unfit for human consumption to residents in Redbridge in 2015.

The firm also pleaded guilty supplying the Holiday Inn Express, in Adanac Drive, and households in Hillyfields with water the containing levels of manganese and iron which exceeded the government’s drinking quality standards, during the same incident in October 2015.

During the incident, Southern Water was to fulfil its contractual obligation to provide alternative water, but when this was delivered overground it failed to meet the necessary criteria.Southern will be sentenced at Southampton magistrates’ Court on Friday August 25.