A water fountain to ‘rival the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas’ sprung up in a rural village last night, after a water main burst.

More than 100 shocked residents of Charing crowded the High Street throughout the late evening yesterday after the rupture, which happened at around 9pm.

What started as a 20ft high water spout, described as having the strength of a firefighter’s hose, soon became a raging torrent - thought to be around 50ft high.

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Rubble was sent flying and a crater was left in the surface of the road following the incident.

It would take over three hours before the leak would be stopped altogether.

High Street resident Simon Clubley, 49, said: “The water spurt started in the middle of the road, and just got bigger and bigger.

“We didn’t hear any bang, but there was a lot of noise from the water.

“It was like a rocket going up in the sky, and within minutes it was reaching at least 50ft.

“It was really spectacular, more impressive than the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas.

“This was not just a leak, it was phenomenal. There was tarmac raining down all over the road, as well as flint from below.

“Most of the village came out to watch, and I guess there were around 100 people watching at various points.”

“It was really spectacular, more impressive than the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas.

This was not just a leak, it was phenomenal" - Simon Clubley

An appliance from Ashford fire station and another from Charing were called to deal with the situation, including flood waters which had started to enter some homes.

Police were also in attendance to cordon off the scene.

Engineers from South East water would bring the leak under control at around 12.30am on WednesdayAugust 14 morning.

Nikki Sara who lives in Market Place, Charing, added: “It was just spewing out stones and it was just a fantastic sight.

“No one was in danger, but it was just huge. The firefighters really deserve a mention, as they just got absolutely soaked.”

Video: The aftermath of the explosion at Charing