Major Shrewsbury road closed as water main bursts

Oteley Road was closed to traffic in both directions following the rupture on nearby Sutton Road at about 4am which left homes and business without running water. It left part of the road near Shrewsbury Town's Greenhous Meadow stadium under water.

Police said the road had been damaged by the flooding and would be shut for several hours.

Pensioner Mary Woolley, 83, who lives in Oteley Road, woke up to see water close to her house.

"I opened my blinds and there was water right up to the gate," she said.

"Severn Trent brought some bottles of water around so at least I have been able to brush my teeth but I wasn't sure whether to put my central heating on or not.

Another Oteley Road resident Fred Sheward, 68, said his property's water supply was not working. "It must have been a major blow-out," he said.

Customers at Percy Thrower's Garden Centre were being told the water supply was off today.

A spokesman for Shrewsbury Town said the Greenhous Meadow remained open for business but could not be accessed from the Sutton direction. Access is only available from Meole Brace island.

A spokesman for Severn Trent said: "Our alarms alerted use to it just before 4am this morning and we went out to investigate. We managed to bring water in from another network which meant we could isolate the section of pipe to carry out repairs and keep customers connected to a water supply.

"Unfortunately between 12 and 15 customers are still without water because of where the burst has happened."

West Mercia Police inspector Helen Thomas said: "The road will probably be closed during a key time in terms of traffic."

Elsewhere in the town Gravel Hill Lane in Shrewsbury was closed due to flooding.