Stroud homes evacuated after water pipe bursts
- Published
The water supply to hundreds of homes in the area was affected
A burst water main forced homes to be evacuated and caused a road in a Gloucestershire village to collapse.
The water supply to 600 properties was disrupted around Chalford, near Stroud, but the figure is now closer to 100.
Police were called at 08:00 BST to reports of a wall collapsing and a water leak on High Street.
The road has been closed, five homes were evacuated and residents were informed of the on-going situation, said Gloucestershire Constabulary.
A section of High Street in Chalford has been closed amid safety concerns
Water could be seen gushing from a pipe under the road...
...and then flowing down the hillside through a private garden
All but one of the evacuated families were allowed to return home by 12:30 BST.
Severn Trent Water said about 100 homes were without water "and we have a plan in place to reduce that to just five by the end of today".
"We've provided bottled water to everyone that's been affected and we're very sorry for the disruption that has been caused," added a spokesperson.
"The repair to the pipe will be tricky as the bridge needs to be assessed by structural engineers and made safe before we can carry out our work.
"To keep everybody safe the road will remain closed and a diversion is in place."
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Dion Trigg, who lives nearby, said the amount of water he saw "cascading" from the burst main was "indescribable".
"You cannot imagine how bad this is, especially for our neighbours and the people who own the properties," he said.
Some residents were offered temporary accommodation
Another resident, Robert Airton, said: "As I was walking along the towpath I could hear an enormous noise and realised this must be the source [of the water leak].
"I saw this beautiful but devastating waterfall running down the garden."
"I felt awkward for the owner, but I did think it looked absolutely beautiful, and if it were permanently like this it would be a beautiful waterfall."