Long queues formed at emergency stations where free water was being handed out following a major interruption in supply which hit parts of Birkenhead and surrounding areas.
So many people gathered in the car park of Tranmere Rovers' Prenton Park stadium - one of the locations where bottled water was being handed out - that an initial delivery truck ran dry, with another arriving shortly afterwards.
Meanwhile popular Sunday lunchtime pubs such as the Caernarvon Castle pub in Prenton were forced to shut their doors because they had no water.
A number of supermarkets in the area also reported running out, as United Utilities battled to sort the problem out.
The interruption in water supplies was first reported at 8.26pm last night and remains active in Wirral postcodes CH41, CH42, CH43 and CH63.
As well as the Tranmere ground, bottled water stations were set up at Sainsbury's in Woodchurch Road, and at Scottish Power in Prenton Way.
United Utilities told affected customers: "There is plenty of water available and teams will stay on site as long as necessary."
The problem was caused by a burst pipe at the local treatment works which provides water for the area.
Engineers from United Utilities have been working through the night to assess the situation and carry out repairs, and the work is continuing today.
Meanwhile, water supplies from other sources are being re-routed into the area and the company’s fleet of water tankers is pumping extra supplies in to help the situation.
