A burst water pipe in Fairfield has led to large-scale flooding this evening (Wednesday, August 19). Residents on Prescot Road and surrounding streets have been affected by the problem, with damage caused to some homes.
Emergency Response and Cause
When the ECHO arrived on Elm Vale at around 6.40pm, water was gushing at the top of the road where it meets Prescot Road with a number of emergency services in attendance. A United Utilities spokesperson has confirmed the flooding was caused by a burst water pipe and added it was reported at around 5.15pm with the incident being treated as a priority.
The spokesperson added: “Our teams are responding to a burst pipe in Fairfield. We are working closely with the emergency services at the site.”
The water has now left the road with the fire service working to unblock the drains.
Resident Accounts
One resident who spoke to the ECHO, Carmel Bower, was not pleased with the response though. She said: “It’s not stopping. It’s getting faster, the water and we can’t do anything.
“The fire brigade came out and they left. They said it was down to United Utilities, and they just left us.
“We’ve had nothing. No one’s been down here to help us or advise us. We’ve just been left, and it’s really bad.
“There’s about five inches of water in the house and 10 in the garden.
“When my mum opened the living room door, it was already flooded. It wasn’t like there was a little bit of water to give us a warning that we might be flooded, it was just completely flooded.
“I was upstairs watching TV and my mum was in the living room with the dog. Then I heard this almighty scream from my mum: ‘Oh my God, the hallway’s flooded’.
“I came running down and there was water everywhere. There was water outside and it was just coming down the street. It was absolutely horrendous.
“Our house is ruined. The kitchen’s ruined. It’s just everything downstairs, all the living room and all my mum’s nice new furniture.
“There’s a chair in there that I don’t know whether is going to be OK. My mum’s had it in the family for 40 years.
“We don’t know how quickly it started because when my mum opened the living room door, it was already flooded.
“We haven’t seen anybody from United Utilities down here. No one’s been down here to help us or advise us. We’ve honestly just been left.
“The police haven’t knocked on our door. They drove past us when we waved them down.
“I was running around knocking on the neighbours’ houses. I just wanted to make sure everyone was OK.
“Apparently, the fireman said he’s been doing it for 30 years and he’d never seen anything like it. So it must be bad.”
Official Warnings and Disruptions
United Utilities issued a warning about water in the L7 area, which is where Elm Vale is located, as well as L1, L3 and L8. It said: "We’re currently investigating a problem in your area that may be causing no water or low water pressure. We’re really sorry for the inconvenience and are working as quickly as possible to get your taps flowing again.
"If your water looks discoloured, don’t worry - this can happen when natural sediments in the pipes are disturbed. You can find helpful advice on our discoloured water page.
"We’ll continue to monitor the situation to make sure your supply returns to normal as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience."
A fire service spokesperson added: "Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service is in attendance at an incident on Prescot Road, Fairfield.
"Crews were alerted at 5.32pm and arrived on scene at 5.36pm, with four fire engines attending in response to a burst water main.
"Merseyside Police, North West Ambulance Service, and United Utilities are also in attendance.
"This is an ongoing incident, please avoid the area."
A spokesperson for Merseyside Police told the ECHO: "We’re assisting fire service and United Utilities in relation to an ongoing incident. We are assisting with road closures."
Prescot Road has been closed in both directions near to Laurel Road. All 8,9,10,10A and 10B bus services have been subjected to severe delays and diversions.
