Hacton Lane Chaos After Water Main Burst Sparks Traffic Tailbacks in Hornchurch.
Drivers faced major disruption in Hacton Lane, Hornchurch, today after a burst water main caused traffic problems with Essex & Suffolk Water teams rushing to shut off the supply.
Video Credit: Jack Stafford.
Hacton Lane was hit by traffic tailbacks after what began as a routine water repair quickly turned into a burst hydrant.
Essex & Suffolk Water teams had arrived on site to carry out repairs to a small leak on the bridge when the nearby fire hydrant suddenly cracked, causing a burst.
The water company said its teams acted within minutes, isolating the water main and stopping the flow.
Thankfully, there was no flooding impact to the bridge or the railway line below, and trains continued to operate as normal.
However, the incident caused disruption for motorists using Hacton Lane, with traffic building up in the area while emergency repair work was carried out.
An Essex & Suffolk Water spokesperson told the Havering Daily:
“Earlier today our teams arrived on site at Hacton Lane, in Hornchurch, to carry out a routine repair on a small leak on the bridge.
“While carrying out these repairs, the nearby fire hydrant cracked, causing a burst.”
The company said the water main was quickly isolated.
“Within a few minutes, the teams quickly isolated the water main — shutting it down and stopping the flows from the hydrant.”
While the bridge and railway were unaffected by flooding, some customers across the wider area experienced low water pressure while engineers worked to rezone the network.
The company says pressure should now have returned to normal.
A small number of customers close to the burst may still be experiencing interruptions to their water supplies.
Essex & Suffolk Water said it is working directly with those affected and will deliver bottled water to customers on its priority services register while full repairs are completed.
The company has also blamed the prolonged hot and dry weather for putting additional pressure on underground pipework.
“Following prolonged periods of hot, dry weather, the ground can dry out and shift, placing additional pressure on pipework,” the spokesperson said.
“This can loosen joints and fittings and, in some cases, cause pipes to crack.”
The company said additional teams have been mobilised across its network to respond to incidents and repair leaks as quickly as possible.
“We’d like to thank customers for their understanding and apologise for the inconvenience caused,” the spokesperson added.
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isn’t there an ESW ban on hose pipes and burst water mains , wasn’t nothing to do with the work ESW have been doing at.gallows corner , like over pressuring the water main ?