UNITED Utilities confirmed the water in Bolton is safe to drink and no longer needs to be boiled before use.

The water supplier posted the news on its website over the weekend saying that "water quality is back to its normal high standards".

This ended a six-day ordeal which saw householders in seven postcodes in the borough advised to boil water before consumption as a precaution against "bacteriological problems."

A spokesman for United Utilities said: "Water samples taken by us over the last three days indicate that water quality is back to its normal high standards. This means all customers can use their water as normal.

"Once again we are very sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you for your patience and co-operation."