Our water company is installing new pipes and yesterday they cut through a pipe at the top of our chemin and a muddy pond formed. This morning our tap water is filthy, full of dark brown mud. I called the emergency number and was promised a technician. I doubt they will arrive now. We’ve not used our water. Any suggestions please. Is it safe for us just to run our cold taps and let the mud run out? What about any damage to hot water tank or toilet cisterns? Obviously if we have to replace anything I want them to pay.
The problem with running any tap, even an outside one, is that you’re drawing more dirty water and possibly debris from the mains.
I had a similar issue a few years ago where debris in the mains from works upstream clogged the filter on the water meter to the point that flow was almost nonexistent.
Took two phone calls to get a technician out and then took him a couple of minutes to find the cause.
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It might just be a little of the mains pipe run so I would run the nearest tap with the aerator removed for 5 mins and see how it goes as the “ex spurt” can’t make it.
Bah…what a bummer but I agree with @Corona ‘s approach and good luck!
Thank you @NotALot and @Corona (took me a mo to get the joke).
OH has gone his own sweet way 
and has been running the taps and flushing the loo in the gite where we are staying while work is done on the house. He says it’s fine. We’ll see.
We haven’t touched the taps in the house and I’m going to leave it. I phoned the emergency line late this afternoon and she told me they are still fixing the leak(s) and so we won’t see a technician until they’ve done the main trunk.
I’m concerned we may have more mud overnight. The woman on the helpline said if stuff stops working (like washing machine etc) to put in a claim to the water company.
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Amazing coincidence, Thames water have just done the same to us, water off and then muddy. Flushing can wait until tomorrow.
Much sympathy.
Delighted to say SAUR technician has arrived and is currently flushing the pipe coming down from the road at the meter - he says the guys who cut the pipe should have done this. Tomorrow is a bank holiday here (totally, not even morning opening of the supermarkets). I had visions of living with muddy water until next week.
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That’s good its getting sorted.
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Unfortunately not good news. There’s a blockage in the hot water tank. No water pressure. I feared that might happen.
Is it blocked in the tank, which seems a bit unlikely or at the tap aerator? Remove in aerator and try again?
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Thanks so much Corona. You’re right. Emergency plumber cancelled. 
I love this place.
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Unless you have an anti-pollution filter before the pressure regulator, the filters on the tap aerators are the only filtration your water system has, unless you count the intake filters on washing machines and dishwashers.
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Rule of thumb around here. If the water runs “dirty” we stop using it until given the all clear. Once the work (of whatever sort) is finished, then the tap nearest to the meter is run, gently, until the water runs clear.
For Planned works, warning is given via the Mairie Noticeboard and also Panneau Pocket.
For Emergency works, ha ha… if we find there’s no water or it’s ghastly… we contact the Mairie and ask what’s going-on (as they are always in the loop).
We certainly don’t invite mucky water into our machines/toilets or anything else.
The Mairie always carries a stock of drinking water 
, but laundry is not on their remit 
one or two people have dry-toilets
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Always best just to run a single cold tap (not hot or toilet) preferably outdoor, until tgecwater runs clear
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