Hundreds without water after burst

NO way through . . . Huddersfield Road was closed in both directions following the burst

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HUNDREDS of homes were left without water in Oldham after a water main burst and sent torrents of water cascading down a road yesterday.

Huddersfield Road, outside Waterhead Academy and the Shepherd's Boy pub, was covered in a huge volume of water after the pipe burst shortly after 7am.

The incident sent gallons of water pouring down neighbouring Culvert Street, which runs down a hill away from Huddersfield Road.

The road was closed in both directions while engineers from United Utilities worked on site to repair the burst water main and restore the supply.

Damage was also caused to electricity cables in the area and the electricity board attended to assess and repair.

Shower

Residents in the OL1 and OL4 postcodes were left without water for several hours until a United Utilities inspector moved water from a different area for homes affected by the leak.

United Utilities apologised for the inconvenience caused during the incident, with engineers working on site into the evening to continue repair work.

The leak was eventually repaired at 7pm, but the supply still required additional work to restore it to its full pressure.

Jamie Standring (34), who lives close to where the water main burst, said: "I didn't realise there was anything wrong until about 10 o'clock when I tried to take a shower but no water came out.

"It was only when I went outside to go to the shop that I saw the fire engine and the water flowing down the road. It looked really bad, there was a lot of water covering the road."

Another resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "All I wanted to do today was sit and read the Sunday papers with a hot cup of tea but that plan has gone out of the window.

"Hopefully no-one has suffered any property damage."

Local businesses offered help to anyone affected by the lack of water supply.

Kings Treats, on King Street, Oldham, offered free water and hot drinks while the supply was being restored, while Lees Village Service Station let residents fill containers from their drinking water tap.