Traffic chaos and a burst water main, which left nearly 40 homes without water for 12 hours, has sparked renewed calls for a bypass around a town.

Homes and businesses in Head Street and Sudbury Road, Halstead, suffered “massive inconvenience” when water pushed the road surface up by six inches, burst out and gushed into gardens.

About 36 properties in Head Street and Sudbury Road had their water supply cut off.

Two home-owners first noticed water leaking into their driveways at about 9.45am on Tuesday.

Jacqui Stone, 38, who works from home, said: “It was literally coming in waves, over a third of the garden.”

Steve Knight, whose home is next to the burst water main, said: “Water was spraying up ten feet.”

The marketing and sales manager added: “If we had the bypass eight years ago, we wouldn’t have all these problems.

“Our Victorian infrastructure isn’t suitable for 40-tonne lorries.”

Anglian Water spokesman Kerry O’Brien said: “Water was back on at about 11.30pm.

“It was just a more complicated job than the workmen first thought because there was a bend in the pipe.

“If you have a lot of rain or if the weather goes from hot to cold to very hot, or wet to dry, it causes the ground to shrink and can cause the water main to burst.”

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