The Mighty Gush Is A Trickle.
A major disaster was averted after a 60-foot high fountain of water shot into the air when an excavator snapped off the valve to the mains under Finsley Gate this week. The roadway became a torrent, Calder Water Board engineers struggled to turn off the supply. Within 15 minutes the 18-inch trunk main water pipe was under control, thanks to a lucky coincidence. "It just so happened that we had a spare valve in stock. We aren't always prepared for a major burst like this" said a water board spokesman. He described the burst, which cut off water supplies in the immediate area for more than two hours, as very serious. "If we hadn't had the spare in stock, it could have taken months to repair the main" he said.
Water burst from the mains when the driver of the excavator accidentally pulled off the concealed cap to the valve. But no one was near the pipe when it burst and no one was injured. But as the fountain soared into the air, some cars continued to travel along the road, despite falling rubble and soil.