Birmingham Newtown burst water main floods streets Published duration 7 July 2018

image copyright West Midlands Fire Service image caption Some homes are without water on what is expected to be one of the hottest days of the year

Cars were left submerged and homes cut off when a burst water main flooded streets in part of Birmingham.

About 100 homes were affected around Wheeler Street in Newtown, West Midlands Fire Service said.

At least one person and their dog were rescued from their home by boat.

Supplier Severn Trent Water said the burst involved "one of its biggest pipes" and it would take a while to reconnect those homes now without water.

The road has been badly damaged and people are asked to avoid the area.

image copyright @snappersk image caption Water rescue teams checked vehicles caught in floods

Engineers are on site and have isolated the burst pipe, Severn Trent said.

Area operations manager Paul Baldwin said it was one of the largest trunk water mains in the city and was deep, making it "complex" to repair.

image copyright West Midlands Fire Service image caption Police drones have been brought in to help assess the extent of the damage

media caption Burst water main floods homes and wrecks road

He said it was difficult to say how long repairs to the badly damaged road surface would take.

Severn Trent has apologised to anyone affected and said the "majority" of customers had been reconnected.

image caption Teams have been assessing the damage caused to the road

Staff were also delivering bottled water to those considered the most vulnerable.

The firm said the pipe involved was 30in in diameter (76cm). An investigation into the cause of the burst would begin once supplies were fully restored.

image copyright West Midlands Fire Service image caption Drivers are being advised to avoid the area

Police drones were used to assess the extent of the damage and Wheeler Street is currently closed from Farm Street to Markford Walk.

image caption The burst pipe was 30 inches in diameter and caused major damage to the road surface