The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Burst water main causes road closure
Residents struggling to get from Farcet into Peterborough
In association with Elderly and disabled residents are struggling to get out of their village after a burst water main forced the closure of a city road. The water main burst on Peterborough Road, Stanground at about 11am on Friday, October 23.
A large hole, which was flooded with water, was spotted in the road surface, and works were needed to repair the carriageway.
The works, which have been ongoing since Friday are set to finish by the end of the week. Diversions have been put in place and sign posted in the area.
The road closure meant problems for buses, with the Citi5 bus unable to serve Farcet while the repairs were taking place.
Mark Hagger (53) of Winston Way, Farcet, said he was struggling to get into Peterborough as a result.
He said: “I am disabled, and can’t walk to Yaxley or Stanground to get the bus.
“A taxi normally costs £5.50 to get from here to Queensgate, but now with the diversion it is costing £10.
“I am having to rely on friends to pick up shopping for me in their car, and me pay a bit extra to them as a result.
“The elderly and disabled residents are really struggling as a result of this.”
About 5,000 homes were left without water for much of the day while Anglian Water engineers worked at the scene.
The supply was turned back on later in the afternoon on Friday, and while there were some issues with lower water pressure, all the affected homes had their supply restored by the end of the day.
The problem also hit Oakdale Primary School in Oakdale Avenue, Stanground, which had to shut for the day on Friday as there was no access to running cold water.
Nik Shelton, spokesman for Anglian Water, said engi- neers were using the works to carry out other planned maintenance to prevent them having to dig up the road again in the near future.
He said: “The pipe which burst on Friday was replaced the same day and everyone affected had their water supply returned back to normal.
“However the burst did cause damage to the road surface at Peterborough Road in Stanground.
“This road will remain closed while resurfacing work continues, this is estimated to be complete by the end of the week.
“Traffic diversions are in place in the area.
“We will also be using the opportunity to fast track a scheduled job to create a new connection on the pipe – this will ensure we do not have to dig up the road again in the near future, reducing overall disruption for residents and commuters.”