People living in a black of flats are calling for immediate action over a long-running problem with water pressure which has repeatedly left them with no supply.

Frustrated residents of a block of flats in St Patrick's Court, Woodford Green, say they have been unable to use showers, washing machines or dishwashers for months.

On Saturday the block was again left with no water at all, forcing the Ascham Homes, the organisation which manages the 52 flats on behalf of Waltham Forest Council, to hand out bottles of water.

Barbara Jones, 64, said: "It has been absolutely frustrating and a nightmare for a lot of us. It has been slowly getting worse over the last year and now it is unbearable.

"There is a real health and safety risk if we don’t have water for the whole day, which has been the case sometimes. We are calling on Ascham Homes to sort this out.

"You take it for granted that you can have a shower, but at the moment it just isn’t possible."

Neighbour Ken Prosser, 61, said: “We have lived with low water pressure for 18 months and it has been awful. But it has got much worse recently and it has turned into a ridiculous situation.

"I haven’t been able to have a shower in the last few weeks and we have been forced to wash in the sink.

"Water does come through from time to time but it is really affecting us. There has been no water to flush the toilet or use the dishwasher the last few weeks.

"We have had no word from Ascham Homes about what the situation is and how it will be sorted out. It does not seem to be doing anything about it."

A statement from Ascham Homes said: "Ascham Homes has been experiencing some problems with the water supply to St Patricks Court.

"The cold water is delivered via a boosted water supply system which is a number of years old and has been identified for replacement. Much of the pipework is also underground which means it has been very difficult to isolate the cause of the problem.

"This has meant that there have been some issues with the water pressure reaching the top floor flats at peak demand time.

"We do currently have engineers working on site and we are doing everything we can to restore a reliable water supply as soon as possible. We have also supplied bottled water to those residents who are most affected."