Presents left floating as burst pipe floods Shrewsbury homes on Christmas Day
Neighbours watched presents float around their living rooms and rushed to save their pets as a cul-de-sac was hit with flooding chaos at Christmas.
A burst pipe on Christmas morning in Moston Road, in the Sundorne area Shrewsbury, caused water to cascade down the street, leaving some homes submerged in up to 13 inches of water.
Neighbours frantically told each other not to open doors as the water came at around 3am, but it got in, causing damage to eight homes. One elderly man needed hospital treatment after falling due to the wet floor, and residents said a fireman rescued a cat that was stuck in the water.
Some homes were left without electricity and heating, and several families will now be waiting months for repairs after "a Christmas we will never forget".
Contractors have been ripping out damaged flooring and insurance assessors have been carrying out checks.
Diane Griffiths, who has lived in the street for 33 years, said she woke to find Christmas presents floating in the water, with the flooding causing damage to a TV, clothes, furniture and flooring.
But despite the festive disaster, she was still able to joke and take the positives after the community rallied round.
"My daugher said next year we'll have to put the presents on the settee!" she said. "It's a Christmas we'll never forget."
A friend who lives nearby offered to take Diane and her family in for Christmas dinner, and several others have urged her to take their help. She added: "So many people have offered us somewhere to live. We've had a lot of good will from people."
She also praised Severn Trent for their support so far. "They really have helped us," she said.
Now Diane and her family face a wait of two to six months for repairs to be carried out as insurance claims are processed, and need their heating and electricity restored.
Neighbour Kerry Rogers and her family received a rude awakening in the early hours of Christmas morning.
"My neighbour up the road was ringing me saying don't open your front door. I went to the window and saw water everywhere. It had already got in the house.
"The firemen couldn't get to us at first, it was too deep.
"Christmas presents were floating in the water. Luckily some of them were sealed so they were okay.
"My partner went out and got the rabbit just in time before the water got in."
Kerry, who has lived in Moston Road for 17 years, had been due to host Christmas for a house full of family visitors. Now she is preparing for a new year of waiting for repairs.
"All of the floor has got to be replaced," she said. "To be fair, Severn Trent have been very good up to now."
Bungalows in nearby Allerton Road were also affected. Wendy Baguley, who lives in one of them, said: "We were flooded but not too deep. Not as bad as round the corner. We were the lucky ones.
"It was just a shock, especially at Christmas.
"It's not ideal but it could have been worse. We've got to wait and see if they need to get rid of the flooring now."
Severn Trent were apologetic after the incident, and said 37 homes briefly lost water supply due to the burst pipe.
A spokeswoman said: “We’re incredibly sorry to the small number of customers who were affected by one of our larger pipes bursting in the early hours of Christmas Day.
“Although supplies were restored quickly, we know the burst caused some flooding to a small number of properties on Moston Road. Our engineers were on site as quickly as possible, and our teams have been working closely with those affected, offering alternative accommodation to anyone who wanted it and supporting with the clean-up following the burst.
“We understand how distressing any kind of flooding can be, let alone during Christmas, so we are extremely sorry for the disruption this caused and would like to thank those customers for their continued understanding. While the pipe was fixed on the same day, the road will remain closed as we work to reinstate it following the damage caused to the road by the burst. Our teams will also continue to work and speak with the customers that were affected in ensuring everything is back to normal, and they have the support they need. Again, we can’t apologise enough for the inconvenience this has caused.”
Shropshire Council have been contacted for comment.
