A20 at Charing, near Ashford, flooded after water main bursts
09:54, 14 July 2023
updated: 11:37, 14 July 2023
Dashcam footage shows how a major road was “turned into a river” after a water main burst.
As the car drives along the A20 in Charing, near Ashford, huge puddles splash up and cover the windscreen.
The massive leak comes as South East Water has enforced a hosepipe ban across swathes of Kent.
It is thought roadworks will be in place until July 18 on Old Ashford Road, where the flood originated.
One motorist said: “It’s a busy route so it’s dangerous to drive along there with so much water on the surface – the road had turned into a river.
“It’s very frustrating to see such a big leak like this when we’re all being told not to use our hosepipes.”
South East Water has apologised to those affected by the burst main.
Distribution manager Mark Rice said: “We were alerted to this early in the morning on Thursday and our expert technicians were deployed to assess and repair the main.
“Once we had excavated the water main, the repair proved to be more complex and due to high voltage cables in the area, we needed to await support from UKPN.”
South East Water’s technicians were expected to complete the repair yesterday evening.
Mr Rice added last night: “We apologise for the inconvenience and frustration caused and expect the repair to be completed shortly.”