These are the latest scenes this afternoon in Burnley’s Brunshaw Road where a water main burst in the early hours of the morning causing the road to collapse.

The road has been closed off to traffic and pedestrians from Ridge Avenue to Brownhill Avenue while teams from United Utilities work to repair the damage. The pressure of the water burst has caused a deep ‘sink hole’ chasm in the carriageway.

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In a statement released earlier this afternoon a spokeman for United Utilities apologised for the inconvenience caused while the work is carried out adding: ““The burst water main is impacting water supply to customers in the area who may be experiencing no water or low pressure.”

A burst water pipe on Brunshaw Road in Burnley has caused the road to collapse this afternoon. Photo: Kelvin Lister-Stuttard

placeholder image — A burst water pipe on Brunshaw Road in Burnley has caused the road to collapse this afternoon. Photo: Kelvin Lister-Stuttard

Unity College is among those affected by the burst main and has closed to students for the day. Aimie Bell was on her way home from work just before 5am when she saw water pouring down the carriageway and the road ‘exploding.’ She said: “There was sand everywhere then I heard an exploding noise, it was like something from a disaster film.”