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Hundreds of youngsters have been sent home for the day after a major water main burst - turning a Wednesbury road into a raging torrent.

At least three primary schools were forced to close after the pipe burst on Leabrook Road North, sending gallons of water cascading down the usually quiet residential road.

Jaw-dropping footage from the scene shows cars submerged - with water reaching an astonishing TEN FEET high in some areas.

Pupils at nearby Old Park, St Mary's and Ocker Hill Primary Schools were all sent home on Thursday after the pipe burst, at around 10.30am.

The closures were understood to be due to a lack of water, after supplies had to be turned off to deal with the severe flooding.

The incident has also affected public transport in the area, with a number of buses diverted away from the scene.

On Twitter, National Express confirmed services 11 and 13 had been diverted in both directions.

The incident has also seen the closure of the car park at Wednesbury Parkway.

Midland Metro confirmed vehicles on the car park were unaffected, but said they were continuing to monitor the incident.

A tweet from the transport operator read: "@SthStaffsWater are working to stop the leak and resolve the issue in Leabrook Road. The water has reached the Wednesbury Parkway park and ride facility at a low level. We will keep you updated with progress."

But Midland Metro confirmed a 'normal service' was in operation and services were continuing to stop at the station.

Emergency services swarmed Leabrook Road North and the surrounding area, with footage showing police and the fire service in attendance.

A number of ambulances could also be seen, although it is understood these were precautionary as no injuries were reported.

West Midlands Fire Service confirmed around 30 firefighters were at the scene, including water rescue teams.

A tweet by WMFS read: "A number of vehicles have been submerged, and some houses and industrial premises affected. We have no reports at this stage of anyone being injured."

A statement from South Staffordshire Water read: "We are working to fix a burst water main in the Wednesbury area.

(Image: Birmingham Mail)

"The main on Leabrook Road was damaged by a third party at approximately 10.30am on April 26.

"Our engineers are currently on site to isolate the damage.

"Some customers may be experiencing low pressure or no water."

South Staffs Water later confirmed the main had burst due to 'contractor damage'.

Resident Dave Strom told BirminghamLive: "The old church building is badly flooded with water starting to go into the houses up the side.

"A lot of people park their cars here to commute to Birmingham you see. They probably won't know until later today.

"This will be a huge cost."