Thousands of homes were left without water in South Ribble and 11 schools were forced to close due to a burst water pipe on Tuesday morning (November 21) .
United Utilities later confirmed an 18-inch diameter pipe had burst on Fishergate Hill at the junction with Broadgate.
Repairs to the pipe had begun by Tuesday afternoon, however the full extent of the damage to the road, and timeframe for repairs, was still being assessed.
People were asked to respect the road closure as there was a risk of holes opening up due to the ground underneath the road having been washed away.
County Coun Rupert Swarbrick, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “We’re working closely with United Utilities and other partners to manage the situation following the pipe burst.
“Our priority is to get Fishergate Hill reopen as quickly as possible once the necessary repairs have been made.
“In the meantime, I would ask people to avoid this area if they can, as there will clearly be an impact on traffic due to the closure of such a busy road.
“We are working with United Utilities to assess the damage and estimate a timeframe for repairs, and will update people as soon as we can.”
Traffic was being diverted via Bow Lane, Marsh Lane (A59), Guild Way (A59), Golden Way (A582), Leyland Road (B5254), Golden Way (A582), Guild Way (A59), Marsh Lane (A59) and vice versa.
These were the scenes as the pipe was repaired:
![A section of Fishergate Hill was closed as engineers repaired a burst water pipe, causing traffic to build on surrounding roads.](https://www.lep.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOjU0NmQwNTNhLThkMzEtNGVkMy05MjU5LTUxOTc4NTRlNTA5OTo3YzY2MGQ4ZC02MWExLTQzNjctYmM2Yi0wZmMwYTcwYjc0MTM=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=800)
1. Scene of the burst water main on Fishergate Hill in Preston
A section of Fishergate Hill was closed as engineers repaired a burst water pipe, causing traffic to build on surrounding roads. Photo: Neil Cross
![Thousands of homes across Penwortham, Longton, Hutton and Whitestake were left without water or low pressure after the pipe burst.](https://www.lep.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOmU3YzQ0ZTMwLTQ2ZGEtNDdmYy1hMTFiLWIxYTU4Nzc0ZjFmYzoxZTEzNDFjYi1kNGM5LTQ5MGYtODQ2OS1lN2EyNTU0NWNlZGU=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=800)
2. Scene of the burst water main on Fishergate Hill in Preston
Thousands of homes across Penwortham, Longton, Hutton and Whitestake were left without water or low pressure after the pipe burst. Photo: Neil Cross
![11 schools also confirmed they would not open due to having no water.](https://www.lep.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOjgyOWY2MjFkLWM4YzYtNDQ3NC1iY2YxLTkzMDVlOTk1NWMzNDo4NTIyNzU3Zi05NzRhLTRiYmUtODM0Ny05Yjc5YzY1ZTdkMGM=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=800)
3. Scene of the burst water main on Fishergate Hill in Preston
11 schools also confirmed they would not open due to having no water. Photo: Neil Cross
![United Utilities confirmed that water supplies had been restored to all customers in an update at 11:50am.](https://www.lep.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOmIyNzUwM2VkLTA0NmEtNDMwZC05Y2IwLTNjNTc0NTBhNjliYzo4YzA2YTU4Yy05MmQ5LTQ4NjUtYWI4ZS05MmRiMzk5MGY0NGE=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=800)
4. Scene of the burst water main on Fishergate Hill in Preston
United Utilities confirmed that water supplies had been restored to all customers in an update at 11:50am. Photo: Neil Cross