AN established firm is in a jam after being accused of draining all the water from homes to make its royally approved preserves.

Wilkin & Sons, a favourite of the Queen, has come under fire from residents living on Nine Acres estate in Factory Hill, Tiptree.

Residents on the new estate say they are unable to shower or do the washing up because the water pressure is so poor.

It understood the supply problems came to a head earlier this month and Wilkin & Sons was forced to switch to its old water supply.

A meeting will now be held between the firm and water supplier Anglian Water in a bid to resolve the issue.

Chris Newenham, joint managing director at Wilkin & Sons, said: “Wilkin and Sons are as frustrated by the lack of water pressure as we know all our new neighbours are.

“Having worked with Anglian Water for over a year to ensure the correct supply was available, we were disappointed by the incident on the July 4.

“Since then, we have had to revert to our old supply until such time as the pressure issues with the new supply have been resolved to everyone’s satisfaction.”

Some residents have claimed they have been forced to store water in jars in the fridge since June.

An Anglian Water spokesman said: “Our engineers are meeting with staff at the Tiptree factory to discuss how we can best find a permanent solution which allows them to take the water they need to run their business without affecting the water supply in the Nine Acres development.

“In the meantime, we’ve agreed with the factory, that we will advise them on the best time of day to refill their water tanks, so that it has minimal disruption for nearby residents.

“This advanced warning will also give us time to adjust the amount of water available in the network to compensate for any loss of water pressure.”