AROUND 100 homes were left without water this morning as a burst pipe flooded a major Winchester road.

Workmen frantically tried to stem the cascading water after a mains pipe burst in Bereweeke Road at 7.15am.

The team at the scene suspected that the pipe, which also burst earlier this year, had split under pressure.

They stemmed the flow at around 10am, rerouting water to 100 homes in Bereweeke and Park Roads which had been left barren for three hours.

Parts of Andover Road, the main route into Winchester from the north, were flooded as water streamed almost half a mile down towards the city's railway station.

Hampshire Chronicle:

The burst pipe on the junction between Bereweeke Road and Andover Road

Residents took to the streets urging motorists to slow down as cars soaked pedestrians with the cascading water.

Sarah Elwick, of nearby Lynwood Court, said: "I was gripping to the side of the pavement just trying to get into town. There's some very inconsiderate drivers."

Dave Knight, a contractor for Southern Water at the scene, said it would take "the best part of the day" to restore the system.

"The flow has stopped now," he said. "We hope to get it on as soon as."