Hampshire businesses struggle to stay open in run up to Christmas amid Southern Water outage
ITV Meridian's Sally Simmonds has been speaking to businesses in Southampton affected by the water outage
For the owners of shops, cafes and hairdressers the lack of water has hit their pockets.
In the busiest week for high streets before Christmas many outlets have had to close completely, others have struggled to offer a full service.
Businesses aren't entitled to bottled water, nor do they expect any compensation.
The owner of Beau Chic hair salon in Lyndhurst says this is as bad as it gets.
Speaking to ITV Meridian, Sarah Kitcher, said: "Each hair colour is taking about 6-8 bottles of water, to wash off.
"We have tried to cancel a few clients, but it's the run up to Christmas and they have had their hair booked for many many months.
"They don't want to cancel, we don't want to cancel and to be fair if we didn't have such a great team we would have to cancel it."
The owners of the Stag pub in Lyndhurst are also struggling.
They say that trade's down about 40% in hospitality, and have described it as 'a dying trade'.
"Then just to add no water to that trade, yesterday cost us a loss of around five thousand pounds," owners Maria and Steve Harris said.
"The frustrating thing is the lack of communication and lack of concern for businesses, because yes we can go and queue and get water as a normal household but that's going to do 2 flushes in my pub."
Peter Eades from Lordshill has no water in the taps, he's filling the cistern for his toilet from the water butt in the garden - and rationing the little bottled water he has so he can take the medication he needs each day.
When he went to fetch water from last night from an emergency station, it had run out.
"The way we're being treated by the water companies at the present moment is absolutely disgusting," he said.
"Trying to get water last night was a nightmare - people were trying to jump the queue, people were squeezing in all over the place.
"Some were getting out of their cars and walking in, picking up bottles, as we were being told that there was no water left, and yet they had pallets of it.
"We can't get a shower - it's not charged up, so we can't use that, running out of hot water.
"The only way we can get it is enough in the kettle, so we're using more and more electric.
"Can't do any washing."
Peter Eades, Lordshill resident
Southampton City Council has issued a statement regarding the loss of water on Thursday evening. (19 December)
They say water supplies are gradually being restored to affected areas.
A council spokesperson said: "However, please be aware that this process is being carried out in a controlled manner to avoid further disruptions to the water network.
"The restoration process may continue into tomorrow. To prevent any flooding, please ensure all taps are turned off.
Once your water supply is restored, you may experience the following:
Slow flow or low pressure - This is normal as the network fills up.
Discoloured water: This is a common occurrence after a supply interruption and is usually temporary
Cloudy water: This may be due to air trapped in the pipes. Letting it sit for a few minutes should clear it
Chlorine smell or taste: This is normal and is a result of the chlorine used to treat the water
Brown or black water: Run your tap for a few minutes to clear it. If this doesn't work, turn off the tap for 20 minutes and try again
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