A clean-up operation following the major burst in Newburn is well under way this evening.
Teams from Northumbrian Water, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, Newcastle Council and Northumbria Police all remain at the scene of the major burst, that happened around 8:34am this morning at the north side of the Newburn bridge.
Although all of the flood water in the area is now all gone, the bridge remains closed to traffic and pedestrians and is expected to remain that way over night. Diversions have been put in place.
We are working with engineers from Newcastle City Council to carry out structural inspections of the bridge and once it is safe to do so we will investigate what caused the burst and then repair the damaged main.
There is a full clean-up in the area ongoing and we are speaking with, and supporting, those who’s properties and cars were damaged during the incident.
Network Services Manager Andrew Blakemore said: “We apologise wholeheartedly for any issues caused by the burst main this morning. We’re working alongside the experts at Newcastle City Council and as soon as the bridge is safe to be opened then we’ll look to quickly repair the main and get things back to normal for residents and commuters.
“The key for us now is making sure that our customers who have been affected by what happened today get all of the support and assistance they need. The local community has been fantastic today and have been really understanding throughout this whole incident. We’ve had some lovely messages and thanks for the great job that our response teams, technicians and partners have done today and we really appreciate it.”
All properties affected by the burst now have their supplies restored and anyone with any concerns about what happened today can talk to our customer service team on 0345 717 1100.