EMERGENCY repairs to a burst water main at a busy Colchester junction could affect motorists until Monday.

Anglian Water’s ten-inch pipe burst late last night beneath the A1124 Southway at Balkerne Hill.

Traffic was moving slowly this morning after one lane of lane of traffic was closed on Southway.

Sara Brown, Anglian Water spokesman, apologised for the delays to motorists and pledged to reduce the impact at further peak times.

“The repair is complicated because of its location and because the pipe is very deep underground and we’ve had to close one lane of traffic to carry out the work as quickly and safely as possible.

“However, to avoid disruption during peak times, we are removing the lane closure this afternoon until 9.30am tomorrow.

“Our engineers are working hard to complete this complex job but we believe it will take until the end of the weekend to return things to normal.

“No customers are without water, however we do apologise for the inconvenience this is causing to drivers in the area at this time.”