Southampton homes left without water after mains pipe bursts, flooding road and gardens

Video from Lana Smith

Around 150 houses were left without water after a burst water main flooded a busy road in Southampton.

Initially, around 8,000 properties were affected on Sunday morning, August 14, after the incident in the West End area.

A number of gardens were flooded along Allington Road, with water being pushed further into people's properties by speeding cars.

Engineers worked through the night on Sunday to repair the mains pipe.

Southern Water said: "We are very sorry to those in the Southampton area who are still experiencing low pressure or loss of supply.

"The repair to the main is now complete so the remaining homes that are still affected will see their supply return to normal soon.

"Recharging the main takes up to two hours."

Lana Smith was visiting her 90-year-old grandmother when she realised the water had gone off.

"No water was coming out of the taps," she said. "Then we realised water was pouring into her driveway from the road."

"It seemed clear a pipe had burst, but we were on hold to Southern Water for 45 minutes and when we eventually got through, they put the phone down."

"It's incredibly frustrating, especially because for months we've been trying to get the company to fix a faulty drain outside my grandmother's house and they've done nothing.

"The noise and the worry keeps her awake at night."

Nearby Itchen Valley Country Park was forced to close its facilities, posting an apology on its website:

"We're very sorry to announce that due to the local water leak, we're unable to open and have decided to close the café and toilets.

"The park is still open for shorter visits."

A hosepipe ban is in operation in the area, the irony not lost on local residents.

Southern Water said on Sunday that they would be making deliveries to homes that were still without water supplies.

The spokesperson added: "We are sorry for the inconvenience this is causing customers.

"We understand that at a time when we are asking customers to use their water wisely during Temporary Use Bans, leaks are even more of a focus."