Council forced to relax traffic ban on bridge after water main burst

A BURST water main in the centre of York flooded streets and led to restrictions barring traffic from one of the main routes to be temporarily lifted.

Major traffic disruption was caused by the burst main at the junction of Lead Mill Lane and George Street yesterday, leading police to ask York Council to relax the trial ban on traffic over Lendal Bridge and allow diversions.

A spokeswoman for York Council said any unauthorised traffic using the bridge between noon and 5pm yesterday would not be fined.

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North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to Lead Mill Lane just after 11am and its crews worked to try to pump water away from properties and roads.

Tony Clarke, head of transport at York Council, thanked Yorkshire Water and the emergency services for their quick response.

“York has had its fair share of flooding in recent years and is well equipped to deal with incidents like this.

“Working with the fire service, we provided around 200 sandbags to worst affected areas, which all helped to minimise flooding for many homes and businesses in York,” he said.

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In a statement Yorkshire Water said a team had worked quickly to isolate the section of the main which had burst. Its staff were expected to work through the night to fully repair the main.

“The ongoing repairs have meant that the road has had to be shut off. The fire service has been on site to pump out the accumulated water.

“No customers have reported experiencing low pressure or loss of water to us.”