A relaxing evening at home for Emma Kershaw soon turned into chaos after a burst water main flooded her house.

The 31-year-old initially thought the gushing water she could hear outside was a heavy downpour, but quickly realised the deluge was shooting out of the ground.

The water pipes which service all of St Nicholas Road and sit beneath Emma’s garden had burst.

Miss Kershaw, a chef at Wetherspoon in Preston Street, said: “At first I just thought it was raining, but water was spurting out of the ground everywhere. I rang the council and someone came out straight away, but they couldn’t find the stopcock and we had to ring the water board.

“The garden now looks like a bomb has hit it." - Emma Kershaw

“They were there the entire night, probably till about 3am, digging up the whole garden. I feel sorry for my neighbours.

“The garden now looks like a bomb has hit it. The mud is everywhere and, having a dog, it’s getting in the house as well.

“The most frustrating thing is that my floors are ruined downstairs and it’s going to cost a lot to fix. The water board have said they will pay us back, but it’s all going to be such a long process.”

The water supply in the entire street was cut off for a few hours as South East Water worked through the night to fix the problem.

Residents now have their water back, but Miss Kershaw may have to wait up to three weeks before her garden is back to normal.

She said: “They have said it could take about three weeks before they come round to fix the garden. It’s a complete mess, and not on that it’s going to take this long to sort.”

South East Water’s distribution manager, Michael Phillips, said: “We are very sorry for the damage caused to our customer’s property by a burst on our 4in diameter water main.

“We were called at 9.30pm on Monday, October 26, and got a technician to the scene as quickly as possible.

“Repairs were carried out and the drinking water supply restored as soon as we could. We have been back to the property today (Tuesday) to continue the clear-up.

“Unfortunately, bursts do happen from time to time, but we know it is upsetting when they cause damage.

“We are working with our customer to make sure everything is put right quickly.”