Shocking moment 100ft water jet sprays into the air as burst main leaves residential street flooded
14 May 2025, 15:01 | Updated: 14 May 2025, 15:18
Watch the moment a burst main sent thousands of gallons of water into the air, leaving homes covered and some residents without supplies.
Burst water main sends jet of water 100 feet into the air
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A jet of water about 100ft high sprayed across Sneedhams Green in Matson, Gloucester in the shocking incident.
A house next to the leak was battered by the jet stream, with the water flooding nearby Sneedhams Road.
Utility firm Severn Trent said bottled water was being handed out to affected residents and as engineers battled to fix the issue.
The water main was turned off shortly before 2pm, with local residents giving a loud round of applause after facing hours of chaos.
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Christine Dix, a Matson resident, said she first alerted to the incident by a neighbour at about 7am.
"When I got dressed and came down here to see what was going on, I was just flabbergasted," she said.
"It's absolutely awful. We've never seen anything like this around here in 40 years. And it's a bit scary, to be honest," she told the BBC.
Community Independent Councillor Alastair Chambers (Matson, Robinswood and White City), described the scenes as "unbelievable" as "thousands of litres of water a second are being sprayed 100ft in the air."
He added: "Concrete earth and debris have spraying out the ground. Inches of thick concrete slab blown out in huge chunks.
"And sadly the million pound home next to the water main in lovely condition has been blasted with rocks and debris breaking windows and roof tiles."
A Severn Trent spokesman said: “We want to thank local people and customers for their patience as our teams continue to manage a burst pipe in Matson.
“We are liaising directly with anyone impacted by the burst, which is on one of our bigger pipes.
“Our teams have been welcomed by the local community as they carry out these complex repairs.”
A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service said: "We were called at 6.18am to a burst water main in Sneedhams Road, in Matson, Gloucester. One fire engine, from Gloucester South, was sent to the scene where we helped to make the scene safe.
"The incident has now been handed over to Severn Trent Water. The stop message was received at 8.31am."
