Travel chaos in city after water main bursts
A BURST water main caused travel disruptions in Newcastle city centre early on Thursday morning.
At around 5.15am, Northumbrian Water were made aware of a burst on a water main just outside of Eldon Square. Teams arrived at Blackett Street and turned the water off in order to isolate the burst.
The repair of the pipe was completed by 11am. Northumbrian Water have since confirmed that a road-sweeper has been used to carry out a clean-up of any surface water on the road and footpath.
Teams remain on the street working to repair the surface of the footpath which was damaged when the pipe burst. While the bus lane on the street is still fully open, two bus stops have been suspended with a temporary bus stop in place.
A spokesperson for Northumbrian Water said: “At 5.15 this morning (Thursday), we were made aware of a burst on a six-inch water main just outside of Eldon Square Shopping Centre in the middle of Newcastle.
“Our teams attended very quickly and turned the water off in order to isolate the burst.
“We have since used a road-sweeper to carry out a clean-up of any surface water on the road and footpath.
“There was no impact on customers’ water supply in the area and the repair of the pipe was completed by 11am today.
“Our teams are now working to repair the surface of the footpath which was damaged when the pipe burst.
“We have had to close a very small part of this footpath in order to allow our teams to work safely and also to keep the public safe.
“We are working closely with Eldon Square and the shopping centre is open as normal.
“The bus lane is still fully open, however two bus stops have been suspended and a temporary bus stop is in place.
“Our teams are helping to advise travellers where to go. We would like to thank customers for their patience and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
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