Road closed near Northampton due to burst water main

The rupture happened in Sandy Lane, near Duston, on Saturday morning when residents reported the road was impassable in some parts due to deep water.

As a result, a stretch of the highway has now been closed in both directions between Larkhall Lane and Weedon Road.

A spokesman for Anglian Water said the problem was a secondary burst and was linked to a primary rupture in in Somerset Drive, Duston.

This original burst flooded two homes before Anglian Water could arrive and stem the flow. However, although the team controlled the water, the change in pressure in the network caused by the Somerset Drive burst caused the secondary burst in Sandy Lane.

An Anglian Water spokesman said: "Water supply was quickly restored to customers in the area, but in order to allow our teams to complete repairs to the pipe as quickly as possible, a road closure is currently in place on Sandy Lane.

“We’re really sorry for the inconvenience this may cause and we’d like to thank local residents for their patience whilst we complete these repairs.”

It is understood the Sandy Lane closure may be in place for several days.

Residents near both bursts lost water pressure on Saturday and reported brown-coloured water. But Anglian Water said all the supplies are now back to normal.

Regarding the damage caused by the Somerset Drive burst, the company said it understood how upsetting flooding can be, and apologised to those customers for the damage.

A spokesman said: "Rest assured we will pick up the tab to get things back to normal as quickly as possible."