Video shows street turned into 'river' after water main bursts - with reports of fridges floating down street

A busy street along a major commuter route into a city was left looking 'like a river' on September 6 after a burst water main caused flood chaos.

Residents were left without water and schools were closed after the mains burst in the Sparkhill area of Birmingham at around 7am.

Thousands of litres of water could be seen gushing down Stratford Road leaving huge parts of the street completely submerged and businesses at risk of major damage.

Police officers, fire crews and Severn Trent Water were all in attendance and engineers have spent the day battling to fix the leak.

Witnesses reported seeing fridges and wheelie bins floating down the street after one of Birmingham's busiest roads was turned 'into a river'.

Local resident Najma Parveen, 43, said: "The whole road has been turned into a river - it's caused absolute chaos all day.

"Some roads have reopened now but you can still see the water being pumped out in huge volumes.

"Many homes had no water, my kids couldn't go to school either. The traffic was crazy. It will have done some damage to surrounding businesses too no doubt."

Water pressure was affected across nine postcodes - including more than six miles away in Solihull.

A West Midlands Fire Service spokesperson said: "Flooding has closed the Stratford Road between Knowle Road and Bromyard Road in the Springfield area of Birmingham.

"Sarehole Road, Shaftmore Lane and Bromyard Road have also been affected. Please avoid this area and the adjoining roads while we work at the scene.

"This comes after a major water main burst. Three fire engines from Kings Norton, Highgate and Hay Mills are in attendance.

"Specialist Technical Rescue firefighters are also at the scene.

"Representatives from Severn Trent Water are at the scene, assessing the source of the leak.

"A submersible pump is in use as crews work to limit damage to properties and businesses in the area.

"An environmental assessment has been carried out by the water board who have confirmed it is clean water.

"Disruption is expected throughout the day.

"Colleagues from West Midlands Police and Highways are in attendance, assisting with traffic management."

Staff at Springfield Primary Academy, Little Springers nursery and Greet Primary School said they have shut due to a lack of water.

A Severn Trent Water spokesperson said: "Our teams are working hard to make sure everything is back to normal as soon as we can.

"The majority of customers water supplies are back on, and we’re focusing now on getting everyone else’s water back on quickly through valving and operating our network.

"The pipe that’s burst is 28inches, it’s one of the bigger pipes that feeds the area, so has caused lots of disruption and flooding – we know this area is a well built up community, and we really sorry for the impact that’s been caused and we have teams meeting customers and the local community to support.

"Please be assured we’re working with the help of the fire service and others to help reduce the impact, but we would encourage people to avoid the area to prevent getting caught in traffic.

"Thank you so much for your patience during this time and the inconvenience it may be causing."