Schools and homes cut off by mains burst
A NUMBER of schools closed yesterday morning and hundreds of homes were left without water following a burst main.
The pipe burst at the junction of Chester Road, Dean Lane and Jacksons Lane in Hazel Grove some time before 1.20am.
It affected the water supply in Hazel Grove and Bramhall, and nine schools had to close, with a further two partially closed.
Fully closed were Cheadle Hulme High School, Hazel Grove High School, Hursthead Infant School, Hursthead Junior School, Moorfield Primary School, Moss Hey Primary School, St James Catholic High School, St Peter’s Catholic Primary School, and Valley School.
Partially closed were Queensgate Primary School and Thorn Grove Primary School, and around 650 pupils were sent home from Cheadle Hulme School
Engineers were at the scene, at the junction of Chester Road, Dean Lane and Jackson’s Lane, by 5.50am and repairs continued throughout the day.
Fire crews from Offerton were called at 3.30am to help clear blocked drains, which were making the problem worse. Saul Brown, from Offerton fire station, said: “The mains went near the traffic lights. The water didn’t get into houses but two garages flooded and there was up to a foot of water.”
A spokesman for United Utilities confirmed the leak was affecting the supply of water for residents living in the SK7, SK8, SK10 and SK12 postcodes.
As the Express went to press, United Utilities released a statement saying the repair was complicated and they expected it to take ‘a number of hours.’
Engineers worked to divert supplies from other sources using ‘overland’ pipes.
Tankers were also used to pump clean water into the network.
The statement said: “This should mean that some properties will now be getting water back to their taps but pressure might still be low throughout the afternoon.
“Others may still have no water, but we are aware of these and are focusing on this issue to get some supplies back here also.”