REPAIRS to a burst water main which forced the closure of a road could be finished by the end of the week, according to a councillor.

Cllr Steve Broomfield took to social media to share a photo of the works on Botley Road in Fair Oak.

Last week, on April 21, a burst water main spewed water across the carriageway leaving five homes without water. 

The road was closed in both directions and caused disruptions to buses with Bluestar reporting significant delays on its Bluestar 3 service.

READ MORE: Burst water main road closure: What we know so far

Cllr Broomfield explained that the works could be completed this Friday should all go to plan. 

Workmen will need to remove "another couple of metres of road surface" as well as remove and replace "a stretch of pavement to the right". 

Cllr Broomfield said: "I popped along to see how things are going with the works on Botley Road, and spoke to the person who was in charge there.

"He hopes, all being well, that they will finish on Friday. 

"The water main runs along the centre of the road, under the raised concrete you can see in the picture."

He added: "It is very apparent that better signage is needed at the Stubbington Way lights: the Crossing Patrol lady at Pavilion Close had her work cut out giving directions to drivers who had sailed past the road closed signs.

"There are reports of HGV using Knowle Lane and Four Tree Lane, both of which are totally unsuitable."

A spokesperson from Southern Water said: "On 21 April at around 3.45pm we received reports of a burst water main. Our teams were onsite within 90 minutes to stop the leak.

"During the incident, five homes lost their water supply however this was quickly returned. We also used tankers to ensure that there were no further water supply issues in the immediate area.

"The repair to the pipe was successfully completed during the night. Our next step is to complete the repair to the road.

"The road repair could take about a week and a diversion has been put in place. Please be assured that we are working as quickly as possible.

"We are very sorry for the disruption this will cause local residents and road users."

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