Residents left without water after pipe bursts

12 hours ago

Daisy Bodkin,in Cheltenhamand

Maisie Lillywhite,Gloucestershire

Severn Trent says repairs are taking "a little longer than first anticipated"

BBC An area of road is cordoned off by construction fencing as heavy machinery gets to work and construction workers work around it. A pipe is extended from a tanker into a large puddle of water after a pipe burst. — Severn Trent says repairs are taking "a little longer than first anticipated"

People have been left without water after a pipe burst on Tuesday, leaving behind what one resident described as "a lake".

Severn Trent has apologised to those experiencing no supply, poor pressure or discoloured water in the GL50 area, which covers central parts of Cheltenham.

The A40 London Road has been closed from where it meets Old Bath Road and Hales Road, to the A435 Cirencester Road, while Severn Trent said the repair was taking "a little longer than first anticipated".

A spokesperson said: "Teams in the area are working to restore water supply by moving water around the network, which may lead to lower water pressure or discoloured water as the supply returns."

"This is nothing to worry about and as our works progress your water supply will return to normal," the spokesperson added.

"We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may be causing and thank you for your patience during this time."

How will the heatwaves affect nature in the West?

Man who kidnapped stranger at gunpoint jailed

Horse riding charity aims to offer 'freedom and joy'

Steven Loud, who lives near the burst pipe, said he was first alerted to the situation when a fire engine parked outside his house.

"I thought, 'that's strange', so I looked out the window and I saw, well, I can only describe it as a lake in London Road and with water bubbling up either side of the road," he said.

Steven Loud said his water supply had not been affected by the burst pipe

A middle aged man with short grey hair and a grey T-shirt on squints in the sun as he stands outside a lovely cream coloured townhouse, with small olive trees outside. — Steven Loud said his water supply had not been affected by the burst pipe

Loud said it was suggested to him that he filled up vessels in his house with water, but his supply had not been affected at all.

"We filled up the bath, we filled up buckets and kettles and all that sort of stuff," he said.

"So, I've still got a bath full of cold water. I'm not sure what to do with it at the moment, but there you are."

Philip Woolley said his flat almost flooded due to the "raging river" coming down the road

An older man with short grey hair and stubbly grey facial hair stands in his front doorway. He is wearing glasses with a sage green rim, a black fleece and a navy top. The walls inside his flat are white. — Philip Woolley said his flat almost flooded due to the "raging river" coming down the road

Philip Woolley said the water was backing up outside his front door at about 20:30 BST on Tuesday and, because he has a soakaway drainage system, he said there was a threat of his flat flooding.

Designed to prevent floods and waterlogging, a soakway drainage system is an underground pit that manages surface water and rainwater runoff.

It collects water from roofs, driveways or gardens via pipes, slowly draining it into the surrounding soil.

"It was just like a raging river, in the street," he said.

"I'm actually just recovering from surgery, so my mobility is not good, so to have to get out of there with a bucket and start to try and relieve this flood, it was really quite scary," he added.

He said he felt he had "dodged a bit of a bullet" when he noticed his water supply had returned at about 02:30 BST.

Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.