THREE water distributions centres are now in operation while work is underway to restore water supplies to parts of West Fife.

Scottish Water said earlier today that around 5000 households in parts of Dunfermline and Inverkeithing and nearby villages had been affected by a burst water main in Steelend.

However, they now believe around 14,000 customers will be experiencing issues with their water supply and are hoping normal service will be restored by 5pm today.

A statement on their website said that the burst occurred at around 8pm yesterday (Saturday) evening and the damage was located near Steelend, on an 18 inch water main that supplies the affected areas with water from the west.

"Engineers from Scottish Water are working to restore water supplies for customers in parts of Dunfermline and Inverkeithing, as well as nearby villages, who are experiencing loss of water or lower than normal pressure as a result of a burst water main," it said.

"As a result of falling levels of storage in the local water network, it is now estimated that up to 14,000 customers are at risk of experiencing disruption to their normal supply.

"A team of engineers worked through the night to excavate the main and complete a repair but, following completion of this work at around 4am, a secondary fault was identified during attempts to restore normal supply to the area.

"Urgent efforts to restore supply to the area via the water network are continuing. This was complete at 12.15pm, and normal service should start to return over the next few hours with all customer expected to be back to normal by 5pm."

Bottled Water Distribution points have now been set up at the Vine Church, Duloch Leisure Centre and the King Street Car Park in Inverkeithing.

A spokesperson for Scottish Water said: “We would like to apologise for the disruption to their water supply that customers in parts of Dunfermline and Inverkeithing, as well as Townhill, Kelty and Kingseat, have been experiencing.

"We recognise that it is a particularly challenging time for customers to be without water at home.

“Our local team worked hard in an effort to complete repairs and restore normal service overnight, but we regret that a secondary fault slowed our progress. Work has now been successful to resolve the remaining issue; and water supply to the area via the trunk main has now been restored, supporting the recovery of local water networks. 

“We are continuing to use road tankers to bring drinking water into the affected communities in order to restore service to customers as quickly as possible. Bottled water is being distributed to customers who have registered for additional support, for example due to a medical condition, via our Priority Services Register."

Further updates on progress will be provided and information will also be made available online at www.scottishwater.co.uk/in-your-area/latest-in-your-area.