Pregnant women, young children and pensioners woke up to their third day without heating and running water this morning, after the water supply in their block of flats was switched off.

The entire tower block of Hooke House in Roman Road, Bow, was left without water when contractors had difficulty turning it back on after attending to a burst pipe.

Residents repeatedly complained to the housing association, Circle Housing Old Ford, when they found themselves unable to wash, put heating on or flush the toilets.

Richard Hazell, 39, a resident of Hooke House said the situation was dealt with ‘appallingly’ and even after the first day and night without water and heating, “nothing seemed to be getting done.”

He added: “It’s an absolute disgrace, no one cares that we are freezing here in the middle of February. I’m concerned about the elderly people that live here too, and I know there are a few new-borns in the block.”

Labour councillor for Bow West, Joshua Peck, said he contacted Old Ford on Wednesday afternoon after several desperate residents turned to him for help.

He asked Old Ford to ensure everybody received sufficient heating and water whilst the issue was being resolved, but “all that was delivered, much later on that evening, was a 1.5 litre bottle of water for each household to share.”

Mr Peck added: “I think their response was exceptionally poor, slow and ineffective.

“They told me they would not go home on Wednesday until the problem was fixed but then they left at 9pm having made no progress and leaving children and elderly people for another night without heating and water.”

A spokesperson for Circle Housing Old Ford said that water has been back on intermittently as of 1pm today whilst they continue to work on resolving the issue.