Images show the destruction caused after a water main burst, leaving at least two families homeless.

Emergency services and Essex and Suffolk Water rushed to Stifford Hill, South Ockendon at about 3.30pm yesterday.

The incident also affected nearby roads including Cullen Square and Cruick Avenue.

Now works are underway to fix the leak and road, and a huge hole remains in the street near the junction of South Road, Stifford Road and Stifford Hill.

Echo:

Fencing has been put up around the scene and the area is shut, as engineers work to fix the issue, pipes and road.

Yesterday afternoon, images and videos showed the road covered in deep water. The frothing and bubbling water could be seen rising from various points in the street.

One witness who filmed the incident unfolding said during his video: "If you're going to come through Ockendon I'd advise you not to. The road has collapsed and burst the water mains and it's just going everywhere.

"Houses in the distance are flooded, flooded, flooded. I don't know what they are going to do but whatever it is, it's going to be major and it's going to have to be quick. They reckon it's about four or five deep, looks like Ockendon is a no go zone at the moment."

The fire service said two families were homeless and 50 others were affected.

An Essex and Suffolk Water spokesperson said: “Following the burst to a large water pipe in Stifford Road in South Ockendon yesterday which caused flooding to customers’ properties and major structural damage to Stifford Road. Our focus is to assist and support each customer impacted. We have a recovery team carrying out a clear up operation and assessing the damage of each property and contents.

 

“We wholeheartedly apologise for the impact this has had on our customers and our team will be available to provide support and assistance to those affected throughout the incident.

 

“Our operations team are currently working to repair the large water pipe and carry out structural repairs to the road. We expect the road to be closed for a number of days and will advise on timescales once we have more information available.

 

“We would also like to apologise to residents in the area affected by the road closure and would like to thank customers for their patience and understanding.”