Burst water main causes traffic chaos in Kidderminster
A burst water main caused gridlock on roads around Kidderminster, leaving bus services diverted and an underpass flooded.
Roads around the town are expected to remain closed for several days because of the pipe, which burst on Monday evening and led to water gushing down the street.
Substantial damage was caused to the carriageway by the leak which happened at the top of Comberton Hill, close to the Severn Valley Railway and mainline station.
Comberton Hill, Green Street, Ringway, between Coventry Street and Worcester Road, and Oxford Street remained closed on Tuesday morning, with drivers urged to allow extra time for journeys.
Worcestershire County Council's highways staff worked to clear silt from the Kidderminster Ringway caused by the water run-off.
Flooding affected sections of the Ring Road and Diamond Bus services were diverted from Green Street, Oxford Street and Station Hill via Birmingham Road.
The underpass at the bottom of Comberton Hill was also made impassable by the water which flooded down towards the town.
Jon Fraser, spokesman for Worcestershire Highways, said: A large water main burst in Kidderminster.
"We are working with Severn Trent Water to assess the extent of the damage caused on Comberton Hill which will see the road closed for the next few days.
"Meanwhile we are working with our partners at Wyre Forest District Council to reopen the Kidderminster Ring Road as soon as possible.
"We are removing silt from the area to make the road safe for drivers to use."
A Severn Trent spokesman said: "We would like to apologise to customers near Comberton Hill who may have been affected by a burst on one of our large water pipes in the area.
"Our teams quickly brought the burst under control and are now focusing on repairing the pipe and getting everything back to normal.
"To keep our engineers and other road users safe while the repairs take place we have had to close a section of Comberton Hill.
"It will be our absolute priority to get the pipe fixed as quickly as possible.
"We are really sorry for the inconvenience this is causing but people can be assured that we are doing everything we can to return everything to normal."
Meanwhile Diamond Bus has also warned that services could be delayed and appealed for people to be patient.
