Homes in the Prospect area will receive their water from a different transmission main, in an effort to fix the neighbourhood’s “brown water” problem.

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Public Works said that work, which took place yesterday, “will have a high likelihood of stopping the introduction of discolouration from the old cast iron pipes”.

About 70 homes in Prospect and Cedar Park have received murky-looking water through their taps for years.

This week, an independent test commissioned by The Royal Gazette confirmed that the water was drinkable, despite its high levels of turbidity, or cloudiness.

However, laboratory manager Shervon De Leon, from Paget-based company Bermuda Environmental Laboratories Ltd, added: “No one likes or wants to drink dirty-looking water. Perception is important. Even though the scientific evidence says that the water is safe for drinking, the fact that it looks dirty is understandably more likely to influence people not to drink it.”

Earlier this month, Progressive Labour Party MPs Dennis Lister and Diallo Rabain criticised the Bermuda Government for failing to fix the issue in a timely and efficient manner.

Craig Cannonier, the Minister of Public Works, denied the charge, saying that resolving the problem was a high priority.

The spokeswoman added: “If the work is indeed successful, this is one major step in several necessary urgent works that must be completed to provide an acceptable level of service to the customers in the Cedar Park Estates and other adjacent affected areas.”

Mr Cannonier added: “This ministry has set out to replace infrastructure that is many decades old and should have, by this time, long been replaced. I would like to assure the public that we are taking the matter very seriously.”

Dennis Lister, Shadow Minister of Public Works, said that he was “cautiously optimistic” over the move and hoped the Government was taking a “substantive rather than Band-Aid approach”.

He also criticised the Ministry for its lack of communication with residents, and insisted that it must “keep them in the loop” in future.

Mr Lister said: “Time will tell if this will solve the issue and the residents will be able to drink, cook and bathe with this water without having to be concerned with their safety.

“It is unfortunate that it took media headlines and social media to force the Government into acting to resolve this issue.

“The health and safety of the community should never be compromised, especially not for political gain. No members of the community should be forced to drink brown water.

“We will continue to monitor the situation with the residents to ensure they are satisfied with the fixes being implemented by Government.”