By JO-MARIE BROWN
Thousands of Mt Roskill and Mt Eden residents awoke yesterday to find they had no running water after vandals sabotaged a Metrowater pump station.
Vandals used a hacksaw to attack a Mt Roskill pump station's main pipe, cutting off water to more than 1000 households.
Metrowater spokeswoman Sharon Buckland said the damage was discovered around 8 am, after residents complained to the company that they had no water. When emergency contractors arrived at the Duke St station, water was gushing from the main, which was switched off so it could be repaired.
However, the damage was worse than first thought and the main pipe burst around 10 am when the water was turned back on.
Ms Buckland said the water had to be switched off at the reservoir feeding the pump station, before a digger could begin repairs.
``They've done a fair bit of damage and gone at it with a fair bit of intent because it's not easy to damage pipes of that size,'' Ms Buckland said.
Metrowater brought in water from surrounding areas while repairs were undertaken but pressure was reduced.
All households now had running water but an attempt to reinstate the supply late yesterday afternoon failed and repair work would resume this morning.
Police were investigating the incident, which Ms Buckland believed was the first attack of its kind on a Metrowater pump station.
The computerised alarm system was also attacked so the company was unaware anything was wrong until residents phoned in, Ms Buckland said.
``I can't imagine why anybody would want to attack the city's water supply and inconvenience so many people.
``You can guarantee there will be a step-up in security now that this has happened,'' Ms Buckland said.
The Fire Service was called to pump water out of one resident's garage and clean up minor flooding around the Duke St station.
Extra fire appliances attended fires in the area yesterday in case more water was needed.
-Jo-Marie Brown
Vandalism turns off water to thousands
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