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Reading road remains closed after burst water main caused flooding

BBC A4 Bath Road ClosureBBC
Thames Water said the water main burst on Bath Road in Reading in the early hours of Friday morning

A road remains closed after a burst water main caused major flooding.

Police shut the A4 Bath Road in the Southcote area of Reading on Friday morning to allow the pipe to be isolated.

Zoe Carter was one of those who woke up to find her home flooded, with damage to furniture and flooring.

Thames Water said its teams had been "working 24/7" to try and repair the main but it was still unclear when the pipe will be fixed.

Ms Carter told BBC News: "It started coming through the back door of our block of flats and started coming into our properties."

She said Reading Borough Council had provided residents with dehumidifiers and praised the fire service for helping clear the water and Thames Water engineers who are trying to fix the pipe.

Sarah Holland, from the water company, said the issue was 5m (16ft) underground which made repairs "complex."

Google Map of Road ClosuresGoogle
A Thames Water spokesperson said: "We've had teams working 24/7 since to try and fix this main as quickly as possible"

She said: "We were able to get the main isolated quite quickly which stopped the flooding and made sure everyone still had water.

"We have made really good progress over the weekend, better than expected. We did have a road closure in place on Friday for at least a week. We are hoping to be well within that."

Reading Buses services have been diverted and they have urged passengers to check for updates before they travel.

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