Crews from The Mounts were called to Harlestone Road shortly before 5am following reports of a burst water main which had caused significant problems in the area.

The flooding ravaged nearby gardens and left hundreds of homes in Duston without water. The majority of homes had been re-connected by 7.45am but about 70 homes are thought to still be affected.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said five firefighters were at the scene pumping out water from The Rifle Butt pub, which had been partially flooded.

The cellar was completely submerged and much of the pub's stock was destroyed.

Gail Pask, manager of the pub, said: "The water went up as high as me and it spread into the carpet upstairs and the beer garden.

"We had just had the cellar painted and a new water system installed at great cost - it's all destroyed now.

"The pub was supposed to be sold in the next few weeks and I don't know if it will go ahead now. At the moment we are just getting things sorted and then we will sit down and see what's next."

A 7.5 tonne lorry, containing a load of glass, became stuck in a hole created by the burst main. near the junction with Quarry Road.

A spokeswoman for Northamptonshire Police said: "At one point the flood waters rose to about three or four feet and there was real concern local houses would be flooded.

"A lorry has sunk into a hole where the road has subsided and repair work cannot start until the lorry has been removed."

Local diversions were in place and Harlestone Road was expected to remain closed for much of the day.

A spokeswoman for Anglian Water confirmed the pipe had burst but was unable to say what caused the problem.

She added: "We would like to apologise to anybody affected by this through a loss of water, road disruption or flooding."

Harlestone Road was expected to be opened to traffic at 6pm on Wednesday with two-way traffic lights remaining in place for the next few days

Don't miss tomorrow's Chron for a full report on the floods, the clean-up and more pictures of the damage.