Hayling Island burst pipe: Water supply restored and Havant Road open

As many as 8,000 residents on Hayling Island were affected by the main water pipe burst in Havant Road on Friday, causing hours-long traffic queues across the island and Havant.

Portsmouth Water released a statement at 5.45pm Friday to ‘confirm that the broken section of main in Havant has now been repaired' – after a failure of a Pressure Controlling Valve caused the burst at 3am that morning.

The company statement said ‘pending full restoration of water supplies,’ customers were requested to use water ‘sparingly.’

Road works to repair the damaged section of Havant Road have also been completed, allowing the road to open.

In a seperate statement the CEO of Portsmouth Water, Bob Taylor, said he could ‘never categorically say this will never happen again,’ but he would ‘make a personal commitment’ to ensure that the risk is ‘absolutely minimised.’

He went on to call the level of disruption ‘far from acceptable.’

He said: ‘I have spent much of the day on site and have personally witness the impact of this event on the local community.

‘Whilst I have had some very difficult conversations, I have taken heart by the attitude and community spirit on Hayling Island on what has been an exceptionally difficult day.’

Drivers across the area reported being stuck in standstill traffic for more than three hours throughout the day.

One driver said she had moved less than 200 yards in two hours.

Hampshire Police have reported escorting Portsmouth Water vehicles onto Hayling Island on Friday evening to carry emergency water for elderly and vulnerable residents.