Scottish Water received dozens of complaints from the villages and areas of Barrhead after tap drinking water developed a disgusting smell and equally vile taste.

However Scottish Water say they have found the cause of the problem after a short investigation and it has been rectified after workers delivered free bottled water to the areas most affected.

Prominent Neilston resident Matt Marshall, from Hillside Crecent, said: “It has been pretty foul over the last couple of days starting from Monday (August 11).

“They came round to deliver bottled water to some areas after me and some other people phoned them.” Scottish Water were quickly on to the case and released an initial statement after their own investigations had detected a drop in the quality of the water entering their water treatment plants.

A spokeswoman said: “We’ve been working throughout the night to resolve the issues in Neilston. We suspect a faulty filter is to blame and have implemented a plan to divert from another area while the filter is repaired. Residents should notice the taste and smell disappearing as the morning goes on. Hundreds of samples have been taken and all show that despite the unpleasant taste and odour, the water is safe to drink. We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused.” However the foul smell and taste was reported in Barrhead as well, with Patricia Scott, 44 from Lochlibo Road saying: “It was disgusting really, I’m not sure what it was but it just smelled and tasted vile.” The problem was fully resolved by Thursday last week, with a Scottish Water statement adding: “Some customers in the Neilston area of Glasgow had reported taste and odour issues with their water supply during the weekend. To resolve this Scottish Water has put an alternative source of supply in place and is carrying out some flushing of water mains in the area today. We are grateful to customers for their patience and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”