Burst water main in Gloucester sends water 30m high, floods homes

• A burst water main in Matson, Gloucester, shot water 30 metres into the air, flooding properties.
• Residents were left without water, with one house severely damaged; bottled water was provided.
• Severn Trent engineers are managing repairs, ensuring water supply and supporting affected residents.

A burst water main in a UK village has shot thousands of litres of water into the air, drenching adjacent properties and leaving some residents without supplies.

Water shot 30 metres into the air in Sneedhams Green, Matson, a suburb of Gloucester, causing flooding and battering one house in particular by the jets on Wednesday.

Resident Christine Dix told the BBC: “It’s absolutely awful. We’ve never seen anything like this around here in 40 years. And it’s a bit scary, to be honest.”

She said a neighbour alerted her to the burst main about 7am (6pm NZT) and that “when I got dressed and came down here to see what was going on, I was just flabbergasted”.

Katie Moore, who lives 1.6km from the burst main, said she had “never seen anything like it”.

“We live on Upton Hill and have woodland where we were able to see this,” she said.

“We have friends who live opposite where it happened. They messaged to say they were okay, but next door was severely damaged.

“The water was restored quite quickly to the local area. The explosion must have been so loud for that amount of water. We are being told to save as much water as we can.”

Severn Trent said engineers were on-site to address the burst pipe and bottled water was being given to residents. There were also reports of debris being flung into the air.

A spokesman for the water company said: “We want to thank local people and customers for their patience as our teams continue to manage a burst pipe in Matson.”

‘One of our bigger pipes’

They added: “We are liaising directly with anyone impacted by the burst, which is on one of our bigger pipes.

“Our teams have been working hard to carefully manage the flow of water, including having tankers in the area, and the good news is everyone is on supply.

“While we’re working up repair plans, we are checking in on our customers on our priority services register to make sure they’re okay and have what they need.

“Our teams have been welcomed by the local community as they carry out these complex repairs.”