HALE School was forced to close early on Tuesday due to a water shortage caused by last week’s bad weather and the subsequent thaw.

The school said it took the decision on the advice of Surrey County Council and South East Water, with around 30,000 homes across the UK said to be without water following the cold snap.

Headteacher Anne Wheeler said in a statement: “Unfortunately, due to the current limited water situation, we will need to close Hale School and Nursery at 12.15pm today.”

It came after South East Water asked customers for help in reducing demand on its network as it battles to resolve supply issues.

The company has found and fixed leaks and bursts across its 9,000 miles of water mains, and has taken staff off normal duties to concentrate all efforts on the task, as well as getting bottled water out to those areas which need it.

Some areas of Surrey and Hampshire, as well as Kent, Sussex and Berkshire, have ongoing problems with no water or low pressure and some customers may find their supplies come and go as the company juggles the water available.

South East Water’s operations director Dr Simon Earl said: “We are doing everything we can in this unprecedented situation and have crews out around the clock trying to locate and repair the leaks and bursts which are causing substantial problems across a wide area.

“To help us further we would ask our customers who do have water to only use water for the essentials.

“If possible, avoid using appliances at the peak times of 7am to 9am and 4pm to 7pm. This will make a real difference,” added Dr Earl.