The hottest day of the year came at the worst possible time for tenants in Finsbury – who’ve now had no water for 24 hours thanks to a burst pipe.

Islington Gazette: Workers repair the burst pipe in St John Street. Picture: Sam GelderWorkers repair the burst pipe in St John Street. Picture: Sam Gelder (Image: Archant)

People living in the 25 flats at Island House, Coleman Fields, have been going through bottled water at a rate of knots since their taps dried up at 8am yesterday.

A ruptured main in St John Street caused the drought, and with it still not fixed, they are left facing an even hotter day without running water.

“The first thing we did was call Thames Water,” said parent Sarah Alderman. “They said they’d keep us updated but the updates say exactly the same thing every two hours.

“At 7pm last night they said they would be sending out some bottled water but it ‘got suck in traffic’ and still hasn’t arrived.

Islington Gazette: Flooding in St John Street on May 24. Picture: Mervyn RandsFlooding in St John Street on May 24. Picture: Mervyn Rands (Image: Mervyn Rands)

”We drink a lot of water in this house so we have bottles anyway, but we’ve got through the lot. About six litres.

“There’s 15 children living in this block. We can’t wash, can’t do any washing up, the kids are covered in sun cream and we can’t wash that off. The toilets are not really an area you want to be going in at the moment.”

Thames Water said yesterday the water should have been back on by last night. But Sarah said staff are now saying they’ve done their bit and it’s down to Islington and Shoreditch Housing Association to get the water running.

“They told me to call the management team,” she said. “At 9.30pm, who’s around then? I called the out of hours number but they are really hold to get hold of.

Islington Gazette: Flooding in St John Street on May 24. Picture: Mervyn RandsFlooding in St John Street on May 24. Picture: Mervyn Rands (Image: Mervyn Rands)

“We feel like we’re being passed around now. We’ve been left to roast. It’s costing us a fortune.”

Thames Water has been contacted for comment.