NEWSFLASH: Sherrard Street in Melton could remain closed until end of the week

A mains pipe burst on Sunday evening sending a torrent of water down the road, making it virtually impassable by car or lorry.

It was closed by workmen shortly after 7pm as they set about digging up the road to repair the ruptured pipe.

The closure led to traffic delays this morning (Tuesday) for the traditionally busy street and cattle market day in the town.

It was hoped the road might be open by tomorrow but Severn Trent has now told the Melton Times it could be closed until Friday.

A spokesperson for the company, responsible for water management and supply in the town, said: “We’ve been continuing to make essential repairs to fix the burst pipe, to make sure everyone continues to have water.

“Our priority is to keep everyone’s water supply on and to keep our teams and other road users safe as repairs are made to the pipe and road.

“Sorry for any inconvenience this may be causing, but we’ll aim to have the road open by the end of the week, but will always aim to complete work as soon as possible.”

Sherrard Street remains closed to vehicles between Sage Cross Street and Windsor Street, with a large hole having been dug close to the Poundland store to allow repairs to be made to the damaged pipe.

A spokesperson for Severn Trent added: “We know it’s never ideal to close roads but in this case we need to dig down to get the pipe fixed to make sure that there are no interruptions to people’s water supply.

“We’re really sorry for any inconvenience this may be causing, and a signposted diversion is in place.

“We’d like to thank everyone for their patience, and let them know that our teams are working as quickly as possible to get everything back to normal.”