Highley without water after mains burst

Almost 200 homes in a Shropshire village were left without water when two mains in the area burst. Stores in Highley, near Bridgnorth, sold out of bottles of water as villagers rushed to stock up until supplies were restored.

The first pipe to go was a six-inch main which burst at about 5am yesterday. Another smaller main in the village went at about 9.30am.

Severn Trent Water spokeswoman Rachel Blackman said yesterday: "The first burst left 87 homes without water and engineers were still working at the scene yesterday afternoon in an attempt to restore supplies.

"The second main left almost 90 houses without water but our engineers were able to repair that and get the customers back online during the morning."

Simon Thomas, manager at the Co-op store in High Street, said: "The shelves were full when I opened at 7am and by 8am they were empty of water.

"I must have sold 250 bottles ranging from 1.5 litres to six litres. One lady spent £15 on water. She actually cleared me out of one size."

Meanwhile, schools were closed in south Shropshire as staff returned to burst and frozen water pipes.

Church Preen Primary School, near Church Stretton, was closed today because of problems with a broken boiler, as was Newcastle School near Clun.

The reception class at Ludlow Infants School was also shut after it flooded when pipes in the toilets burst after freezing then thawing.

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