Several businesses in Burnham-On-Sea have had to close today (Sunday, June 5th) after taps in the town centre started to run dry following last night’s major water mains burst.
Parts of central Burnham are without water following the mains burst in Love Lane, which was first reported by Burnham-On-Sea.com last night.
The Reed’s Arms on Burnham’s Esplanade has had to close due to a lack of water, as has The Cottage Cafe in College Street.
The Victoria Hotel is offering a limited service and the town’s public toilets on The Esplanade are also temporarily closed.
Last night, Love Lane was under several inches of flood water after a 300mm water pipe burst near the Tesco roundabout.
Staff from Bristol Water worked through the night to try and resolve the problem, but water supplies have not yet been re-connected.
Dee Lloyd from the Victoria Hotel (pictured top) told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “We’ve no water at all so several guests have had to leave without showers this morning. The water problems have caused us a lot of disruption.”
And Ricky Baillie at Geri’s Bistro in College Street added: “We are having problems – there’s no water in our kitchen at all. I have bought 20 litres of bottled water from Morrisons to keep us open for a few extra hours.”
Bristol Water apologised for the inconvenience and spokesman Jeremy Williams told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “The burst water main has been isolated. Excavation and repair work has begun but it will take most of the day, given the size of the main and its location.”
“The area has been re-zoned onto an alternative supply. Water pressure may be lower than usual at peak demand times.”
Mr Williams added that while the cause of the burst had not yet been fully established, it was likely that ground movement caused by the current dry weather had been to blame.
Pictured: Top, signs in the town showing business closures caused by the mains burst and, below, the work underway this morning (Sun) to fix it
