A WATER supplier has said that fixing an ongoing leak on Andover High Street is a 'priority' with overnight repair works scheduled for later this week.

The leak, which began approximately a week ago, has seen water trickling down the High Street.

It comes admist a region-wide water supply shortage and drought warnings, with Southern Water implementing a hosepipe ban in areas including Andover. 

Many residents have raised concerns regarding water waste. Borough councillor Iris Andersen said she has received numerous calls on the subject.

She said: "I feel so sorry for the members of public, having to put up with the hose ban and then seeing that, with water being wasted."

SEE ALSO: Hampshire and Isle of Wight hit with hosepipe ban as drought looms

Addressing concerns raised by residents regarding the leak, a spokesperson for Southern Water said: "Repairing this leak is a priority for us, but given the nature of the work required, this will have to take place overnight. This is currently planned to take place on Tuesday evening, subject to resourcing.

"We recognise that fixing leaks is a critical part of reducing water use in our region. Our network is big and complex (13,870km of water mains), and this brings many challenges when it comes to finding and fixing leaks.

"We fixed 22,000 leaks across our region last year and we’re making huge investments and changes to the way we tackle this and have a target to reduce leakage by 15 per cent by 2025, 40 per cent by 2040 and 50 per cent by 2050."