A fault in a major water pipe close to the Pembroke reverse osmosis plant left residents in Swieqi and surrounding areas high and dry for 36 hours between Tuesday and yesterday.

A Water Services Corporation spokesman said the fault dev-eloped on Tuesday morning in Mediterranean Street, Pembroke.

Repair works were immediately undertaken and the service was meant to be restored by 10 that evening.

However, the problem persisted and water could not be restored due to technical difficulties.

Work continued throughout the night and the service was expected to have been restored by last night.

While apologising for the inconvenience caused, the spokesman said the company could not pre-empt such faults.

The areas affected included St Julians, Swieqi, Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, Paceville and Pembroke.

Several readers phoned The Times to complain, some of them saying they could not get through to the corporation or had been left waiting on an answering machine.

Most complained they were left in the dark on what was happening. They said there was no news on the radios or television and even on timesofmalta.com.

A 76-year-old disabled man from Swieqi said he had been without water for 36 hours and no one was given any information on what was happening.

He said he had been calling the corporation's freephone number for several hours but to no avail.

Another man said the water cut was an inconvenience but after such a long time without water it became a public hazard.