EARLY on Saturday morning Luckley Road residents woke to the sound of what they thought were hailstones battering their windows.
Confused because no such weather had been forecast, they peered into the pre-dawn darkness outside and were astonished to discover their homes were being blasted by a 30 foot jet of water and tarmac debris.
A burst water main in the street had violently smashed through the road surface and was creating a huge fountain in the street.
A resident said: “It was absolutely extraordinary.
“We were asleep when we were awoken by the sounds of heavy rain and hail, and a car alarm going off outside.
“It was only 4.45am, and still dark, but we could just see that, weirdly, the rain appeared to be only in one area.
“Suddenly we realised we were looking at a 30 foot high fountain – our very own version of Geneva’s landmark Jet d’eau – in the middle of our street.
“The water was rising with such force that it was actually hitting the branches of a nearby tree.
“And because the outside temperature was minus five or six degrees celsius, the water was freezing in mid air and the tree’s branches were covered in frost.
“Some of the water was falling as snow, and on the ground an ice-rink was forming – it was quite a spectacle.
“It was as if Elsa from Frozen had waved her wand and was turning everything into a winter wonderland.”
The alarmed residents called South East Water and emergency services, and alerted neighbours.
People who could, ventured outside to see what was going on, but others whose homes were being pelted by the jet weren’t able to open their front doors.
Engineers from South East Water arrived at 7.30am.
The resident continued: “They said they’d never seen anything as powerful as this on a residential street.
“All credit to them, they worked hard to turn off the mains, and the water eventually stopped at 8.20am, but by then we had endured three and a half hours of it.
“We were all very anxious that if the leak wasn’t stopped in time the water could flood our homes – fortunately that didn’t happen.”
But while neither homes nor residents were harmed during the incident, some cars were less fortunate.
Another resident, whose vehicle was damaged said: “My car took the full force of the jet.
“The roof and the back window were both smashed, and the windows were cracked.
“There’s shattered glass and a 10 inch puddle of water in the footwell, and I’m guessing it’s probably a write-off.
“There was nothing we could do – we couldn’t even open our front door to go outside because it was too dangerous.
“I’m so upset about it – it was very shocking, and we were left shaking.
“I dread to think what could have happened if we’d been inside the car, or if children had been walking down the road when the mains burst.
“And if a vehicle had been parked directly over it I imagine it could have been lifted into the air, the force was so powerful.
“You really wouldn’t have believed it unless you were actually here.
“We’re grateful to the chaps from South East Water who came to sort it out – they were absolutely brilliant – but we just wish they could have been sent sooner, then perhaps the damage wouldn’t have been so bad – it’s so frustrating.”
South East Water’s Regional Network Manager, Paul Mann, said: “We’re really sorry to residents in the Luckley Road area of Wokingham for the disruption and inconvenience caused by a burst water main on Saturday.
“The damaged pipe has now been repaired, and all customers have their water supplies as normal.
“We aim to have the road reopened by Thursday evening, January 16.
“We are sorry for the inconvenience caused to the community and would like to thank residents and motorists for their patience while we carry out this work.”
Tarmac repairs were completed rapidly, for which residents are grateful, and the road reopened to traffic on Wednesday morning, January 15.
