Power and water restored but 'damage a disaster'

Work has been carried out through the night to repair a burst water main and restore power and water to hundreds of homes.

Leabrook Road North in Wednesbury, West Midlands, completely flooded when the main burst on Saturday. Pictures showed emergency workers using boats in the street and people up to their waist in water.

Lea Brook Methodist Church said they and other properties also flooded. Malcolm Freeman, senior steward, said the damage to the church building was a disaster and it was likely to be closed for some time.

He said the last time the road flooded because of a mains burst, six years ago, it took almost a year to get it repaired.

The flood in 2018 was caused when a builder on a mechanical digger accidentally smashed a water pipe, turning Lea Brook Road into a river.

Mr Freeman was at the building for most of Saturday and said: "The church had a considerable amount of water inside it - something like one metre deep in places."

West Midlands Fire Service said it had returned to the church on Sunday to help clear water from the cellar.

The church is due to meet insurers on Monday and planned to hold services via video calls as a temporary measure.

But Mr Freeman said it would make it difficult to provide some of its usual services, such as the warm hub or movement classes for older people and added: "The church is the centre of the community for the area and people look to us."

The fire service, which sent crews on Saturday to pump out the water, said power had been restored to almost 700 properties.

It and staff from South Staffs Water would be removing leaves and other debris from the street on Sunday.

The Sons of Rest Building on Foley Street opened to provide a warm space for residents without heating.

On Sunday morning South Staffs Water said water had been restored to all 8,000 homes which were cut off.

It also said bottled water had been distributed to people while they were waiting to be reconnected to the mains.

The company, which said on Saturday it had isolated the leak, promised further updates on the work on Sunday morning and said the work to repair the fault continued.

It warned some people may see discoloured water when it returned and issued advice on what to do about it.

A number of roads still remained closed on Sunday morning.

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