A million people in Yancheng, Jiangsu province, were left without water on Friday after the supply became contaminated with toxic waste from a chemical factory.

Authorities turned off the taps at about 7:20 am, and the supply returned in some areas at 3 pm.

Supplies from the Yancheng tap water company, one of three firms serving 800,000 people in the Yandu and Tinghu districts of the city, were contaminated by carbolic acid, the government said.