A huge water leak from a burst main at Keynsham has caused major problems in the last 24 hours with a dam having to be built across Charlton Road, nearby homes flooded and hundreds of people left without water.
The burst yesterday morning has affected residents in Keynsham, Compton Dando, Saltford, Whitchurch, Corston and Newton St Loe.
Water was seen rushing through gardens and garages and through the Bilbie Green estate and firefighters dug trenches to direct the flowing water away from the properties.
Charlton Road was closed due to the large amount of water with traffic diverted as crews from six fire stations worked alongside police and Bristol Water teams to create the dam using soil and hardcore. Nearby Charlton Field Lane was also closed.
By 4.45pm Bristol Water said it had been able to redirect the water and start digging to expose the damaged pipe so that repairs could begin.
Bottled water was delivered to vulnerable customers.
Some homes had their water supplies reconnected last night but Corston and Newton St Loe areas were still affected and bottle water was available for collection at The Globe Inn at Corston.
This morning on what has been the hottest day of the year, Bristol Water announced that the main has now been repaired but there were still some supply issues in Corston and Newton St Loe.
UPDATE, 1PM:
Bristol Water says: “The burst main is repaired, and we have rerouted the water supply back to normal.
“We’re aware some customers are still out of water and have inspectors out on site carrying out some more changes in the network to get everyone back in water ASAP.
“Bottled water is still available from The Globe Inn, Corston, for anyone who needs it.
“Once everyone is back in water, we will begin backfilling and reinstating the road, with the aim to have this fully completed and cleared away before Glastonbury Festival next week.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
UPDATE FROM BRISTOL WATER AT 3PM
“Our crew are still on site, the road is significantly damaged and a road closure is still in place as it isn’t safe for our crew or vehicle users to use the road currently.
“We’ve had a few instances of the road closure being ignored, we don’t want to cause any delays to your journey, but please be safe and follow the diversion signs.”
BRISTOL WATER UPDATE 5PM
“Our crew have been sorting some valves on the network to get the water pressure back to normal for everyone.
“We’re still carrying out some more checks along the pipes, but your water should be returning to normal shortly – it can take a little while for the water to flow through all the network and reach your home. Thank you to everyone for your patience and understanding today.”
6PM UPDATE
Bristol Water says: “We’re aware some customers in Compton Dando’s water supplies are still affected. We’re sending some more inspectors to the area to continue investigations and will post updates as soon as we have them from site. ”
6.20PM UPDATE
“We’re working on getting everyone’s water pressure completely back to normal. Properties on higher ground will take a little longer for the pressure to build up to reach them.
“We’re aware there are 30 properties still not in water, we’ve got staff out resolving the issue now, and will be delivering bottled water to these properties.”
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