Burst water main closes Holloway Road as Netherby homes lose supply

A burst water main beneath Holloway Road has left around 3,200 homes in Netherby without running water and closed one of the busiest routes into the city centre. Water began rising through the road surface near the junction with Larkspur Road shortly after 6am, and within half an hour a stretch of around 200 metres was under several centimetres of water.

Wrenhaven Water said the pipe, a 450-millimetre cast-iron main laid in the 1950s, had split along a length of roughly two metres. Engineers closed valves on either side of the break by mid-morning, but the work cut supply to most of Netherby and parts of Bramley Cross. Some households further from the break are reporting low pressure rather than a complete loss of water.

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Bottled water and diversions

Bottled water is being handed out at Netherby Community Centre and at the car park of the Northfield Retail Park, and the company said tankers would be stationed outside both primary schools in the area from the early afternoon. Customers registered as needing extra help, including older residents and families with babies, are being contacted directly and will have water delivered to the door.

Our crews are on site and we are doing everything we can, but this is a large pipe and the repair will take time.

That was the message from Rosalind Teague, the company's operations director, speaking at the scene. She said the aim was to restore supply to most homes by late evening, although the road itself is likely to stay closed for at least two days while the damaged section is replaced and the surface rebuilt.

Buses on routes 4 and 11 are being diverted via Coldharbour Lane, and police have asked drivers to avoid the area. Several shops on Holloway Road have closed for the day, and the owner of one café said water had reached the doorstep before the flow was stopped.

Wrenhaven Water said it was too early to say what caused the failure, but the main was on a list of pipes due for replacement within the next five years. Updates will be posted on the company's website and social media throughout the day. This story is developing.

Grace Mwangi

Reporter

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