Hoddlesden residents without water due to mains pipe leak

The leak was first discovered in Queen’s Square, Hoddlesden, at around 4am on Sunday and reported to United Utilities that morning.

One person living in the area said: “A water main has burst in the centre of Hoddlesden outside the Deli.

“Three water tankers from United Utilities are on site but there’s water flowing freely down the hill.”

Some residents living on Carus Avenue were unable to access water from their taps, with one person posting on social media, saying: “It’s been off down by the cemetery…they have repaired a burst, but another has happened further up.

“I reckon the trucks rattling up and down from new development aren't helping as the pipes are very shallow...I suspect it’s only going to get more frequent…”

Engineers from United Utilities were on site relatively swiftly but it took until the early hours of Monday morning for the leak to be fully repaired.

A spokesperson for United Utilities said: “A leak to a water main on Queen’s Square was reported on Sunday afternoon.

“Our engineers were on site quickly and it was repaired in the early hours of Monday morning. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

In July a mains pipe burst through the road on Bicknell Street in Blackburn, with water shooting up so high it was 'above the rooftops'.

And then last month, a burst pipe in Old Farmside, in the Ewood area of Blackburn, caused a loss of water pressure for some homes as far south as the Anchor Grove estate in Darwen, while others were forced to go without water for more than 30 hours in baking temperatures during the heatwave.

A fleet of tankers were dispatched to pump water into the system and three water bottle stations were set up across the borough as United Utilities spent days repairing the complex leak.

Residents applied for compensation from the water board but some were denied, with United Utilities saying their initial data suggested some water was flowing, although at a reduced pressure.