Workers startled by torrential overflow

Water gushes out of a disconnected water pipe yesterday. Photo/Bevan Conley

Staff at Richdale Fire and Security were startled yesterday morning by a heavy downpour coming out of a clear blue sky.

However, it wasn't rain - it was a torrent of water from a disconnected water pipe outside the company's Maria Place Extension premises.

Wanganui District Council's senior engineering officer Dave Rudolph said Bullocks were working on a new stormwater connection and hit the water connection, pulling it out of the water main. "They had to do an emergency shut-off for half-an-hour. It was repaired and the water was back on by late morning," Mr Rudolph said.

Richdale manager Les Wilson said just before 11am staff heard "what sounded like a heavy downpour" on the roof.

The angle of the water meant most of it landed on the vacant building next door.

"People coming and out of our building had a very light mist of water to walk through," Mr Wilson said. "We didn't have any water in our taps for a short time so we got some water from a nearby business."