A burst water main on Fargate left numerous businesses and premises in Sheffield city centre without water today.
Contractors, believed to have been carrying out work for Yorkshire Water, reportedly "hit" the water pipe during work on the Sheffield Fargate Public Realm project. It sent water flying skyward, soaking the surrounding area and disrupting water supply to some nearby premises.
A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said: "We attended site quickly this afternoon and isolated the section of main to stop the burst. We carried out a rezone to restore supply to all properties. Our teams will complete the repairs as soon as possible and we apologise for the inconvenience caused."
Yorkshire Water were in communication with The Star throughout the incident and confirmed this afternoon the water flow had been stopped and supply would "quickly" be reinstated to properties close by.
The company were called to the site by contractors, after the water pipe on the site burst. M&S, Boots, The Benjamin Huntsman pub and Cafe Nero (Division Street) were just some of the businesses affected.
Some witnesses said they estimated the spray of water went 10ft into the air at some points. The water began to pool outside some of the premises on Fargate and streamed down High Street towards Castle Square.
Sisk, the lead contractors on the Sheffield Fargate Public Realm project, supplied some businesses, like Boots, with sandbags to protect against the water - but a spokesperson confirmed they were not responsible for the burst, instead placing responsibility with a contractor working on behalf of Yorkshire Water.
The spokesperson said Yorkshire Water were completing a Stats Diversion as part of the project, adding: "It appears [workers] hit a water main."
Sheffield City Council have been approached for a comment.
