Flood repairs continue as businesses disrupted

Tipu Sultan, an optical assistant, said business had been affected by the burst pipe

Traders on a busy Birmingham stretch say business has been disrupted as engineers continue repair work four days after a major pipe burst.

Schools, homes and places of worship were affected by major flooding in the Sparkhill area on Friday.

Communities along the Stratford Road saw taps run dry, with West Midlands Fire Service removing a "significant" amount of standing water and some 12 postcodes involved.

Severn Trent Water has yet to put a timeframe on the repairs, saying only that it hoped things would return to normal as soon as possible.

Supply to properties has since resumed with the Stratford Road reopened to traffic - but Knowle Road remains closed with workers on site.

Businesses in the area said repairs had been ongoing day and night since the burst, but the incident had led to a decline in footfall.

Tipu Sultan, an optical assistant, said patients were slowly returning, but some had cancelled appointments.

He explained deliveries of glasses and other equipment had been delayed, adding he had not received any updates.

"There is no time frame, there is nothing," he said. "As far as I know I have no information."

A new pipe appears to have been installed on the Stratford Road

Mair Baz, from the Halal Heavens Butchers, said customers were going elsewhere, due to a lack of access to his shop.

He too said he did not know how long it would be until repairs were complete.

"I think the pipe is in [but] it could be another week or so," he said. "We are losing business but what can you do? It's nobody's fault.

"They've been working hard. They've been working day and night."

Knowle Road remains closed as repair work continues

Dawood Khan added business had "definitely been affected" but things were improving.

"The footfall was really bad," he said. "It's in a much better state now."

Severn Trent said the 28-inch pipe that burst was "one of its biggest" and described the repair work as complicated.

A spokesperson warned motorists it would have to close one lane of the Stratford Road and install temporary traffic lights from 19:00 BST on Monday to protect workers.

"Our teams are continuing to liaise with customers and the local community to offer support," a statement read.

"We want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding as we get things back to normal as quickly as possible."