A burst main in Paisley left 7,000 properties without water and dozens in the town clambering to protect their homes from flooding.
The incident happened around 3pm on Sunday afternoon where significant disruption was caused after a mains water pipe burst on Neilston Road.
Water was seen gushing down Orr Street, Espedair Street, Neilston Road and towards homes on Stockholm Crescent.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), along with Police Scotland, Renfrewshire Council and Scottish Water raced to the scene to stop the rushing water from spewing out.
According to eyewitness reports, water was seen entering many people’s gardens and threatening to enter their homes, with one homeowner also reporting that their basement had been flooded.
Many locals in the community came together to try and stop the flow of water from reaching anyone else’s home by creating a temporary dam from items they could gather.
Megan Kavanagh, who lives on one of the affected streets, rushed out to help halt the water which spewed for around four hours in total.
Speaking to the Paisley Daily Express, she said: “The neighbour had chapped our door to tell us to move our car, by the time we noticed, the pipe must have been burst for about 30 minutes. My car was in about a foot of water and our garden by this point [was a couple of feet under water].
“We ended up being very lucky and thanks to our preventative measures we avoided being flooded, apart from mud and mess, that can be cleaned up, we don’t know of any real damage.”
Explaining it was a lucky escape, she added: “Because our flat is basement level and had flooded about 30 years ago we were concerned it could happen again. The water was flowing down Orr Street from Neilston Road, down the side of our building and directly into the back of our property.
“We started gathering anything we could to direct the flow of water down the lane and away from our house, dug mud from the side of the property and any loose branches were used.
“My dad and partner started sealing vents with wood and sealant. There was definitely a matter of urgency to divert the water and a right panic as the water level rose rapidly.”
Paisley Buddies took to social media to share dramatic videos of the water spewing down the streets and people frantically working to protect their homes.
Scottish Water says its team worked throughout the night to make a repair that has been described as “complex”, with the work officially being completed at 5am on Monday morning. In total, 7,000 properties were affected by the incident.
A spokesperson said: “We were made aware of a 30-inch burst main at Neilston Road, Paisley in the afternoon of Sunday, December 15. Teams worked throughout the night to make a complex repair to the strategic main, completing the work at approximately 5am on Monday, December 16.
“Through thorough investigations, teams also found and repaired a broken valve at Espedair Street, this helped minimise the number of properties affected.
“Approximately 7,000 properties were affected by this incident, and we apologise to any customers who experienced an interruption to their normal supply.”
The SFRS added that they attended with three fire appliances and one specialist resource unit to help deal with the burst water main.
A spokesperson told the Paisley Daily Express: “We were alerted at 2.38pm on Sunday, December 15, to reports of flood water on Neilston Road, Paisley.
“Operations Control mobilised three fire appliances and one specialist resource to the area where they were met with a burst water main. Crews left the scene at 8.57pm after ensuring the area was made safe and there were no reported casualties.”
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