Closure of busy route into and out of Northampton NOT down to same burst main, says Anglian Water

Anglian Water has responded to accusations of sloppy workmanship causing a main route in and out of Northampton to be shut for a SECOND time in less than a month.

Engineers are working to fix a burst main on a stretch of the A5199 which only reopened a few days ago following a similar problem.

Drivers forced into taking lengthy diversions to get around the closed stretch, between Chapel Brampton and Spratton, until Sunday or Monday have vented their frustration on social media.

One branded the company ‘clowns’ adding: “If they had fixed it properly last week it would not have happened again.”

Another posted: “Top job fixing that Anglian Water...shut all last week for the same reason.”

But Anglian Water insists two pipe failures so close together and a few weeks apart is simply an unfortunate coincidence.

A spokesperson said: “This is a separate part of the pipe, the burst is not the same place as the previous burst which occurred a couple of weeks ago.

“Bursts can occur for a variety of reasons including ground movement and change temperature which can cause the pipes to contract and expand slightly.

“Unfortunately we do need to close the road while our teams are working to repair this latest burst main to ensure they and the public are kept safe until the work is completed and, in the meantime, we would like to thank everyone for their patience.”