A WATER pipe repair may have caused tap water to look discoloured or brown, United Utilities has said.

A water company spokesman said a repair was made in Clement Street, Accrington, this afternoon and taps in the BB5 postcode may have noticed their water was running slightly off colour.

This is due to the naturally occurring sediments and minerals at the bottom of pipes can get disturbed when pipes are repaired.

The spokesman said: "We have received calls to let us know some of you are finding when you turn your tap on the water is discoloured or brown in colour.

"We know it doesn’t look nice but don’t worry, it’s unlikely to be harmful and will settle down again with time.

"You can help with this by letting your cold water tap run at a slight trickle until your water runs crystal clear again.

"In the meantime we have one of our inspectors keeping an eye on this to make sure it settles back down again soon.

"We’re sorry if this has affected you getting on with your everyday jobs.

"You can check out our discoloured water page for more information.

"Thank you for bearing with us."