Burst water main in Colchester town centre closes junction

About seven workers from Anglian Water have been on-site to locate a part of the water main, which burst at approximately 4am this morning.

Although it has not yet caused significant traffic disruption, water was flowing down Headgate, and buses leaving Colchester Bus Station in Osborne Street have had to be diverted.

Concrete was dug up as workers looked to find exactly where the pipe had burst

Significant portions of the road at the crossroads between St John’s Street, Crouch Street, Headgate, and Headstreet have been dug up by workers who were looking to find exactly where the water main had burst.

A member of the team at Anglian Water said the volume of water had undermined the tarmac, meaning it would not be safe for buses and heavy goods vehicles to drive through the junction in case it weakened the concrete further.

One member of staff at Anglian Water explained to the Gazette that the thickness of the tarmac had meant workers had to be careful not to drill into any electrical wires underneath the road.

The water main is believed to have burst in the early hours of this morning

He added it might be possible for one lane to be reopened in St John’s Street to prevent tailbacks later on today – but as yet nothing official has been confirmed.

The best case scenario, the staff member said, was that the leak was found and rectified in the next 24 hours which would allow parts of the road to be resurfaced.

He added that, once the source of the leak had been found, the operation should be relatively straightforward.

One lane on Headgate was also closed as no vehicles were allowed to turn onto St John's Street

Although there was slightly heavier traffic on Osborne Street, the disruption was not major, and most vehicles have been diverted down Stanwell Street leading to the A134, Southway.