SIXTEEN schools were forced to close as a burst water main caused chaos in Southend this morning.

The major pipe in Bournes Green Chase, Shoebury, exploded at about 7.30am.

Braintree and Witham Times:

Flood - the pipe burst early this morning

The main, near the junction with Royal Artillery Lane and the A13, caused major flooding in and around all nearby roads.

And left schools with no water forcing them to close.

They were:

  • Southchurch High School
  • Shoebury High School
  • Thorpedene Primary School
  • Bournes Green Infant School
  • Great Wakering Primary School
  • Southend High School for Girls
  • Richmond Avenue Primary and Nursery School
  • Hamstel Junior School
  • Hamstel Infants School
  • Bournes Green Junior School
  • Porters Grange Primary School
  • St George’s Catholic Primary School
  • Friars Primary School
  • Hinguar Community Primary School
  •  Alleyn Court Prep School; and
  • St Nicholas School.

Parents were stunned.

Sarah Goodman, 44, of Richmond Avenue, Shoebury, said: “We found out just in time and I have two schools to drop my children at.

“I work full time, so it’s an inconvenience for me and other parents.

“I know it can’t be helped, but it’s not easy and I am unsure how necessary some closures are. It’s so widespread, we need to be asking serious questions about how this can happen.

“I don’t understand why it took so long to fix.”

Daryl Potter, 35, of Shoebury, added: “It could be an idea for schools to have a back-up plan.

“It isn’t good that one main pipe can burst and we’ve got all this chaos and issues.”

Braintree and Witham Times:

Under water - the burst water main caused chaos in Southend this morning

Drone footage showed the deep water covering roads and a playing field.

Southend Council said its working to reopen schools.

Anne Jones, cabinet member for children and learning, said: “Unfortunately a number of schools in the area had no option but to close today due to the burst water main.

“We are liaising with those schools to see what support they need to re-open.

“Schools will update parents directly regarding re-opening, and we’ll keep our website and social media channels updated with relevant information.”

Prepare for four-day closure

A BUSY road will be partly closed for up to four days following the burst water main chaos.

Thorpe Hall Avenue, Shoebury, will be restricted to one-way contraflow due to the pipe rapture in Bournes Green Chase.

The majority of schools are expected to reopen tomorrow after the floods which are thought to have affected up to 30,000 properties, either cutting off water or impacting water pressure.

An Essex and Suffolk Water spokesperson said: “We were made aware of a burst on a large water pipe near Bournes Green roundabout at 5.45am, which was affecting water supplies in the Southend area.

“We immediately attended, stopped the burst and moved water around the network so that we could restore supplies for our customers.

“Water was restored to most customers by 9am and by 10am all of our customers were back on supply.”

The spokesman said the firm was now working hard to repair the pipe and the road surface which was damaged by the burst.

They added: “A temporary lane closure is in place on Thorpe Hall Avenue for safety reasons while we do this.

“We anticipate this being in place until Friday.

“If this changes, we will let people know via Twitter on @eswater_care.

“We wholeheartedly apologise for the inconvenience this has caused to customers in the affected area and thank them for their patience and for their understanding.”

However, residents say this is not good enough - and the problem should be fixed quicker.

Rachel Green, 41, of Shoebury said: “I can’t get my head around the whole thing, it’s far too long to fix such a problem.

“We’ve already put up with so much disruption.

“I think we need a serious investigation in to what has happened here.

“Whether it’s a freak break or even just maintenance we need to know why it’s happened.

“I can see the whole area being total gridlock at peak and busy times.

“It’s one of the major roads around the town so it’s very likely we have some disruption from the part closure.

“I hope it isn’t too bad in the mornings.”

Raymond Greenwards, 56, of Shoebury, also raised concerns about the delays in works.

He said: “It’s not the best time of year for flooding as it’ll all take a long time to dry out.

“I hope it is fixed and the road is opened quicker than the four days.

“I know the workers are dealing with this but it’s frustrating for us as residents to be waiting too long.

“I know people are feeling this way, and of course it’s all anyone’s talking about.”

Despite various closures, South Essex College stayed open.

A spokesman said: “The college is open as usual, we are not being impacted by the main.”