Water main repairs 'near completion' after outage

Work to repair a burst pipe that left thousands of East Sussex residents without water supplies is "nearing completion", South East Water has said.

About 8,000 properties were reportedly left without water on Wednesday after a burst main in Lancing Way in Polegate.

South East Water said in an update on Thursday night that "everyone should be back in supply although a small area may be experiencing low water pressure."

One Lancing Way resident said the burst pipe had been "gushing like a fountain" and had left her trapped in water encircling her home.

South East Water said some customers may experience "cloudy or slightly discoloured" water as the system settles following the repair.

Customers can solve this by running their taps for a few minutes until the water clears, they added.

The water supplier said the road would be closed over the weekend as the burst had caused "substantial damage".

Paula Westcar, who has lived in Lancing Way for more than three years, said: "At its worst the hole was billowing out rocks into the water.

"I struggled to walk through the water because the current was so strong."

Ms Westcar said: "I was in disbelief – I cried a bit because no one could help me and I felt powerless."

Some schools and businesses were forced to close on Wednesday after the burst water main affected properties in the Polegate and Pevensey Bay area.

Willingdon Community School in Eastbourne said it would be shutting its doors on Thursday despite "having done everything possible to keep the school running".

All its secondary students were sent home and a planned class trip cancelled as a result of "the water supply being almost non-existent".

Posting on social media, a spokesperson apologised and said updates on the situation would follow.

South East Water apologised for the disruption and thanked customers for their patience.

Steve Benton, South East Water incident manager, said it would take a few hours, but the water company expected the network to return to normal overnight.

He said two bottled water stations at Eastbourne Borough Football Club and Eastbourne Angling Club will be closing this evening at 22:00 GMT.

The company said it was looking to set up a new bottled water station after concerns about the location of the previous site at Eastbourne Angling Club.

Customers who are most in need can register to receive bottled water deliveries through South East Water's customer care team.

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