'That's a big hole' - Burst water pipe at the centre of Telford chaos is lifted out the ground
This is the water pipe that caused chaos in Telford this week leaving thousands without water.
Severn Trent Water has been working round the clock since Sunday morning after homes and businesses were affected by the burst, which left much of the Telford area south of the M54 with either no water, low pressure or a murky supply.
After two days with no water, supplies have since been restored to homes and businesses.
This afternoon Severn Trent announced that the A442 had been reopened in time for rush hour.
Telford & Wrekin Council said: "All reservoirs are now stable and Severn Trent are not expecting any issues with peak demand tonight. All properties should have their water supply reconnected by tomorrow and low pressure issues should be resolved.
"Bottled water sites at the Tesco in Madeley and Museum of the Gorge in Ironbridge will remain open today until 10pm. Madeley will remain open tomorrow if needed but Ironbridge will not.
"Severn Trent advises that the water network will take a few days to be fully back to normal. They have now left the site of the repair.
"All roads that were closed as a result of the leaks are now open. Showering facilities are still available until 10pm tonight at Abraham Darby Sports and Leisure Centre for any residents still without water."
Severn Trent Water said this morning all of its customers have been re-connected, but some supplies may be intermittent throughout the day.
Since Sunday they have been handing out bottles water to residents at various locations across the area.
Telford & Wrekin Council opened up Horsehay Golf and Fitness Centre and Phoenix Sports and Leisure Centre to anyone without water to use for showering on Monday evening and schools were closed throughout the day.
The southbound slip road from the A442 Queensway to the A442 Brockton Way was closed while repairs took place but has since been reopened.
A Severn Trent Water spokesman said: "We're delighted to say that water supplies are back on for all of our customers, but some may experience the water coming and going throughout the day.
"We've made good progress through the night and the repair on the pipe is now complete, so we now need to start work to put this large pipe back into supply and this may take some time so we will continue to use our tankers to bring water into the area, so customers can expect to see our tankers remaining in the area for now."
The repair has been particularly tricky as the 21-inch pipe is very deep underground and, before we could start to dig, we had to cut back nearby trees and are now removing an 18ft section of pipe and replacing it.
Telford & Wrekin Council leader Shaun Davies has thanked the community in south Telford for their patience and resilience in dealing with the loss of water supply.
Councillor Davies also hailed the efforts by agencies working together to solve the problem and ensuring that residents were kept supplied with bottled water while supplies were off.
He also thanked cabinet members and councillors of all political colours for their tireless work engaging with the community.
Councillor Davies said: “I have always said that Telford’s biggest strength is its community spirit and the last few days have epitomised exactly that.
“I know that it has been an extremely challenging time for all residents whose water supply has been affected but there have been many heartening examples of unsung heroes across south Telford looking after each other and caring for the elderly and vulnerable.
“The whole incident has also demonstrated how effectively agencies work together in times of crisis and I would like to thank all the teams that gave their time, knowledge and skill – both in getting water to residents and in fixing the problem that caused the loss of supply.
“I would also like to thank members of my cabinet including Councillor Rae Evans as well as councillors of all political colours that have engaged with their communities over the past couple of days to help solve problems and minimise disruption – it has truly been a fantastic effort by everyone involved.
“A special mention must also go to Tesco in Madeley, staff and volunteers at the Park Lane Centre in Woodside and at Brookside Central and the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust – all of these have helped provide water pick up points for our residents.”
