Schools closed and home wrecked as burst main floods Tipton road again
Schools were forced to close, part of a house collapsed and around 170 homes were without power after a water main burst for the second time in four months.
Residents from three properties had to be rescued by firefighters in a boat after the pipe burst in Park Lane West, Tipton, at around 4.30am today.
The 18-inch main burst just two or three metres away from where it leaked in October, when a 20ft jet of water was sent into the air flooding the road and ripping a wall off a nearby house.
Part of that house again collapsed today while nearby Tipton Green Junior School was again flooded and forced to close, while gas workers were also dealing with a leaking gas main.
The junior school will be closed for a second day tomorrow but three other schools affected will reopen.
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The standing water was cleared by 9am but around 100 homes remained without power at 3pm and three more schools were shut due to either being flooded or initially having no water supply.
WATCH: Video shows flooding damage
Meanwhile South Staffs Water has decided not to repair the damaged section, as it did last time, but to instead replace the entire water main over the next two months.
Firefighters, council workers, gas engineers and teams from South Staffs Water all returned to the scene where they spent days repairing similar damage in October.
Around 20 properties and schools were damaged on that occasion.
GALLERY: Photos show flooding aftermath
Around 170 properties were initially left without power today but electricity was restored to around 70 of those affected by mid-morning, Western Power Distribution said. Power was expected to be restored to all customers at around 6pm once permission was given by the fire service.
Tipton Green Junior School and neighbouring Silvertrees Academy were both closed due to flooding, while Shireland Technology Primary and Shireland Collegiate Academy were also closed in Smethwick due to initially having no water.
As it happened
See how the morning unfolded with our live updates (full article continues afterwards)
Pete Aspley, wholesale service delivery director at South Staffs Water, said: “We are conscious of the significant impact to the local community, so we have taken the decision to replace the 300-metre length of main in Park Lane West, instead of repairing the section which has burst. We believe that this is the only way we can provide reassurance to residents that no further incidents will occur.
"The work is being coordinated to start with immediate effect and will take about six to eight weeks. We are sorry for any distress that this has caused and we are continuing to support any residents who are affected.”
The water supply was turned off at around 6.20am and fire crews spent the morning clearing the roads of water and debris and making the area safe.
Park Lane West was quickly closed between Owen Street and Mayfair Gardens as a result of the flood.
Janine Fletcher, 59, a resident on Manor Road, a few doors away from the junction with the burst main, said: "I thought I heard rain in the night and then when I got up about 7.30am and opened the curtains I saw it wasn't.
"All the workers were here by then. The water had come right up to the house, but it came a bit further last time.
"I just thought it's gone again, but there's nothing we can do about it. We've got no electricity.
"The first time it happened it was frightening, it was 20ft in the air but this time I don't think it was as bad."
Helen Challis a 44-year-old office manager who lives on Manor Road, said: "My husband woke up to go to work as he gets up quite early and he could hear a noise and didn't know what it was.
"It sounded like a roar. He came running up and said the road is flooded again.
"I jumped out of bed and saw the whole road was flooded. We just stood around in disbelief. There's more mess and debris this time.
"I can't believe it's happened again in the same place."
Nobody was injured.
A spokeswoman for Western Power Distribution said: "We were contacted by the fire service at 6.30am this morning and asked to isolate supplies to 170 customers in the Park Lane West area to make the area safe while the fire service are carrying out their work.
"They contacted us again at 12.30pm and asked us to restore supplies to 70 customers, there are still 100 people off for safety reasons."
A spokesman for gas network Cadent added: "For safety reasons, we currently have engineers on site isolating a section of the gas main.
"This will affect supplies to a small number of properties that have been already been evacuated. Gas supplies to other homes and businesses are not affected."