Nearly 3,000 homes in the suburb of Stannington were left without heating or hot water in sub-zero temperatures as their gas supply was shut off after the incident in December.

S ome households waited two weeks to be reconnected.

Yorkshire Water said engineers we re now replacing that pipe with one that will be laid on a slightly different route, further away from the gas main.

The water main in Stannington which exploded and damaged a gas main so severely that high pressure water then flowed with force into the gas pipes

The company also said an independent investigation wa s being conducted to determine the cause of the leak.

Gas supplier Cadent said engineers pumped more than one million litres of water out of the gas pipes before they managed to reconnect all the affected properties.

Neil Dewis, a director at Yorkshire Water, said: “We’re working to replace a section of our water main in Stannington which had a fitting dislodged in December.

“We are removing a length of pipe for analysis and a new water pipe will be installed away from the gas main, which was laid after the water pipe was in place.

“There will be some road closures in place while we carry out work to move the pipe, which will begin with a series of trial holes to assess where all other utility apparatus is in the area.

“We’re working closely with Sheffield Council highways to make sure disruption is kept to a minimum and we are in the process of providing residents who are directly impacted by the work with detailed information.

“We know this has been a difficult period for our customers in Stannington and Hillsborough and encourage anyone who hasn’t already applied for compensation to do so .”

He added: “So that we fully understand the cause of the issue, there will be an independent investigation carried out.

" Once it has concluded we’ll update our customers and stakeholders on the outcomes.”

The asbestos-cement water main which burst was installed in the 1970s. But Yorkshire Water said these pipes were commonly used across the country and had a lifespan of 90 to 100 years.

Cadent is also offering customers affected by the incident compensation, allowing them to claim up to £130 for each day they were cut off.

Stannington, Sheffield: Burst pipe that left 3,000 homes in the cold to be replaceD