Roads in Fairfield, Liverpool, remain closed more than 24 hours after a water pipe burst, causing flooding and discoloured water. Elm Vale and Prescot Road are shut this evening following the incident.
At around 5.15pm on Wednesday, August 19, residents on Elm Vale, near the junction of Prescot Road in Fairfield, found parts of their homes submerged in water. Emergency services attended the scene.
When the Liverpool Echo arrived at around 6.40pm, water was gushing from the top of Elm Vale where it meets Prescot Road, with emergency services in attendance.
United Utilities issues discoloured water warning
United Utilities warned those in several Liverpool areas that they may have trouble accessing water or may see discoloured water. Water was restored last night, but those in the L7 postcode may see discoloured water as repairs continue.
A message on the water firm's website at 1.45pm today said: "We are continuing our repair works to the burst on Prescot Road, all customers should have water.
"While this work continues, some customers may notice changes in water pressure at busy times or some temporary discolouration of their water.
"This is because we are using different routes through our network to keep water flowing to homes and businesses. If you do notice any discolouration to your water supply, you can find helpful advice on our discoloured water page.
"We're really sorry for the disruption that this may have caused to you, we're working as quickly and as safely as possible to get things back to normal. Thank you for your continued patience."
Residents return home, no timeframe for pipe repair
Residents were allowed to return home earlier today, but no timeframe has been given for when the pipe will be fixed. A spokesperson told the Echo: "All customers have water and have done since last night.
"Some might experience poor pressure at certain times but we've barely had any contacts about the water from customers since it was restored last night.
"We'll confirm repair times when we can. Residents were back this morning and our teams have been on site offering support."
One woman in the area told the Echo this afternoon: "The water was off from 5.30pm yesterday, it was bad with a baby. My water supply is back on, with odd bursts of brown water.
"There is still brown water in the toilet but I'm able to use the taps now. We were able to bathe the kids and shower this morning. It came back on at about 10am."
Separate burst pipe in Edge Hill repaired
A burst water pipe also shut Overton Street in Edge Hill last night, but the road has now reopened. United Utilities said it was repaired overnight and was not linked to the incident in Fairfield.
There are no flood warnings or alerts in this area, but some river and sea levels are high, including the River Mersey. Rain is forecast to continue in Liverpool until 11am tomorrow morning (Friday, August 21).
