Burst water main leaves homes without water on what could be hottest day of year

Southern Water said 1,365 properties in the Fiveways area are without water on what could be the hottest day of the year.

The community is rallying round, and The Pet Shed on Preston Drove said: “Re burst water main in Havelock Road area #fiveways #Brighton. Currently have water here in the shop. Please feel free to come and fill up your water bottles #afriendinneed #shoplocal.”

There’s been delays in fixing the problem as Southern Water said parked cars in the Fiveways area was causing obstructions to engineers.

A statement on social media this morning by the water company said: “We’re dealing with a burst main in Preston Drove, #Brighton which has led to some customers in the area experiencing water loss.

“Our specialist crews arrived on site but unfortunately parked cars obstructed our work. The police have now moved the cars and we’ve begun the repair.”

Southern Water released a further statement at 10.30am, which said: “The burst in Preston Drove, Brighton, is on a 6” main, which has affected around 1,365 properties with either low pressure or no water.

“We are currently digging down to expose the pipe to find out the scale of the problem, which will also tell us what needs to be done to repair it and also provide us with an idea of timescales.

“We are investigating the best way to restore supplies in the meantime, whether it’s through a rezone or by providing alternative water supplies.

“We understand how difficult it can be to be without water, especially during hot weather, and we would like to thank our affected customers for their patience while we carry out this emergency work.”

A Southern Water spokesperson explained that water mains can burst for a number of reasons, including age or extreme temperatures.

More to follow.

Are you affected by the water main burst? Let us know by emailing [email protected] or tweet @BrightonIndy