Locked down Windsor residents who found their taps running dry cleared the shelves of bottled water at Dedworth's Co-op Food shop yesterday.
Thames Water received complaints from about 200 people after taps dried up in Mill Lane and surrounding roads at about 4pm.
Resident Michael Clarke said: "I passed people walking back with bottles of water as I headed to the Co-op and the shelves were empty. There was a Thames Water van with men working on something in Smiths Lane."
A spokesman for Thames Water said that the problem had been identified as a faulty valve in some underground piping which was quickly fixed.
Supplies were restored by 8pm.
She said: "If it had proved to be a more serious problem likely to take time to fix we would have provided bottled water to those affected."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here