5.10pm

WELSH water apologised for the inconvenience of this afternoon's water main burst, saying the breach was made by another contractor and were doing "all they we could to restore normal service as quickly as possible."

They added: "As supplies begin to return to normal, some customers may notice a slight discoloration to their tap water. This is to be expected following an incident of this nature and should clear within a short period of time."

If anyone has concerns about their water, we would ask they call our operational helpline on 0800 052 0130.

 

4.25pm

Around 20 Newport City Council workers rushed to the scene as well as fire fighters, with sandbags placed outside Greggs and Betfred on High Street and a river of water running down Skinner Street.

Betfred manager Richard Marsasco said they evacuated people out of the fire exit as they feared the water might come into the shop. But, luckily the sand bags halted the flow.

Community safety warden Rhian Templeton helped keep people away from the scene and said she feared that the water may have got inside and damaged the Natwest Bank.

By 4pm, the shooting water had been quelled to a six-foot high fountain while the crowd of around 50 people were beginning disappear back to the shops.

4.20pm

Jai Harris, 18, from Abergavenny, said: "I’m soaked all the way through. But, at least it has cooled me down."

Gary Davies, 43, from Baneswell, said: "It was shooting high in the air for around 20 minutes until firefighters were able to calm it down."

3.04pm

 

Haydn Bryan of Newport said:"There were lots of children dancing about in the water and having a good time. He added with other road works going on on Commercial Street, the city would be "gridlocked" if anything else happened.

2.50pm

A DIGGER working on a gas pipeline has punctured a water main in Newport city centre this afternoon, leaving water gushing up to 50 feet in the air.

The emergency services, including fire engines have just arrived at the scene at the bottom of High Street between NatWest and the Principality building society.

Argus reader Brian Donovan said it was "mayhem" but it had "drawn a really big crowd".

He said hundreds of people were in the area and that the emergency services were trying to clear the area.

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