SUPPLIES were cut off to more than 100 town centre homes and businesses today when workmen hit a water main pipe.

Crews from National Grid were completing maintenance work on gas pipes in King Street, Blackburn, when the water pipe was damaged.

Hundreds of litres of water poured down the street to fill a six-foot deep hole dug by the workers after the incident at 12.15pm.

Bosses at United Utilities said more than 40 calls had been received from customers to report their water supplies being cut off and more than double that are thought to have been affected.

A worker from the water company arrived on the scene at around 2pm and the pipe was repaired shortly after.

The water was off for around two-and-a-half hours in total.

Fleming Square hairdresser Jeff Stone said the incident had a huge impact on local firms.

He said: “We absolutely depend on water and it caused a lot of disruption.

"The coffee shop nearby had to stop serving hot drinks and we had to eek out the stored water we had.

“I told the workmen that if they went anywhere near the water main again I would wring their necks!

“But they did a great job fixing the situation and minimising the disruption.”

National Grid is completing a nine-week £150,000 project to renew 500 metres of gas mains at the site.

The gas main being replaced is in the pedestrian area of the town centre and the new pipe will be inserted through the old one, reducing the amount of digging needed.