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Water supply returns to majority after pipe burst

West Midlands Fire Service Water is seen gushing from the ground, with water completely flooding a road in the foreground while in the background is a fire engine parked beyond the flood. There is a street with two rows of house and a line of parked cars visible. West Midlands Fire Service
Water could be seen gushing out of the ground and flooding the road

Water supply has returned to the "majority of customers" after a water main burst in Birmingham, utilities firm Severn Trent has said.

West Midlands Fire Service said water at the location of the burst in Sparkhill was expected to subside soon with repair work continuing into the weekend.

The incident has closed schools, flooded roads and left residents without water for hours after the 28 inch (71cm) pipe burst on Friday morning.

Councillor Nicky Brennan said that water was being distributed for impacted residents and water supplies should be turned on by midnight.

Stratford Road remained closed between Knowle Road and Bromyard Road, with other routes affected, the fire service said.

Severn Trent said that it was focusing on getting everyone else’s water back on quickly through valving and encouraged people to avoid the area.

Nicky Brennan A man in a black t-shirt and trousers is standing next to a table full of food and drinks. A firefighter is holding a cup and standing on the opposite side of the tableNicky Brennan
Mughal Restaurant on Stratford Road were thanked for serving food to the fire service and staff

Mughal Restaurant on Stratford Road served food and refreshments to the fire service and staff during the flood.

"Sparkhill community spirit is the best of Birmingham," Ms Brennan said.

The fire service praised the restaurant for its "ongoing support" and for letting crews use their facilities which had helped "enormously".

Watch: Major flooding problems emerged when the pipe burst on Stratford Road

Staff at Springfield Primary Academy, Little Springers nursery and Greet Primary School said they had shut due to a lack of water.

Some residents told the BBC they had been without water for hours and a shop manager said he had been unable to open his store.

Street cleaner Mark Hadley said he had seen fridges and wheelie bins floating down the road.

He added that a nearby restaurant’s basement had been badly flooded and firefighters needed to pump out water.

Flood-water in a street with a restaurant in the background. There is red and white "fire" tape at the top of the image
Councillor Nicky Brennan said the fire service's actions helped a local restaurant after its basement flooded

The fire service said the first crew was at the scene shortly before 06:40 BST, arriving within two minutes of being mobilised.

It said a pump was in use as crews worked "to limit damage to properties and businesses in the area".

Three fire engines were in attendance on Friday morning with specialist technical rescue firefighters also deployed, the service added.

A spokesperson advised people to avoid the area and adjoining roads and confirmed that the water was clean.

"It's affecting water pressure all the way to Solihull, so it's quite a substantial amount of properties affected," said Ms Brennan earlier on Friday, before supplies were restored.

She added the fire service had acted quickly to pump water out of a nearby restaurant, Mughal-e-Azam, and without their efforts it would have been "curtains" for the business.

A man looks at the camera, with a blurred scene behind him showing a white van and a house in the distance.
Local resident Surin Jadav said his property had been without water for hours

Sarehole Road, Shaftmore Lane and Bromyard Road were also affected, according to the service.

West Midlands Police and highways crews have been helping with traffic management.

Among affected residents was Surin Jadav, of Leominster Road, who said on Friday morning his property had been without water for four hours.

West Midlands Fire Service A flooded road with a bus stop and wheelie bins visible, there is a bus as well as various buildings in the backgroundWest Midlands Fire Service
The road has been closed, with disruption expected to last for much of the day, according to West Midlands Fire Service

Martin Berry, manager of tile shop BC Ceramics on Stratford Road, said the situation was frustrating.

A man looks at the camera with a blurred scene in the background showing a fire engine and people walking along a street.
Shop manager Martin Berry said the incident had prevented his store from opening on Friday morning

Mr Berry said he was unable to open the shop at 07:30 and he was also unable to go in to check damage.

The business had recently spent thousands of pounds on new displays and stock, he added.

National Express West Midlands said services 1 and 6 were diverted in both directions and advised passengers to allow extra time for their journeys.

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