RESIDENTS and businesses in Lliswerry have spoken of the chaos which descended upon the area this morning after a burst water main flooded Nash Road.
The burst was first reported by Newport City Council at 7.42am this morning after footage emerged on social media of a torrent of water flooding the Nash Road, near to its junction with the SDR.
A stretch of Nash Road between the SDR roundabout and the nearby residential area was closed to cars and pedestrians and remains shut this evening.
Heavy delays have been reported on the SDR road this afternoon, where a lane has also had to be closed.
Nash College and Lliswerry High School were forced to turn learners away and close for the day after their entrances were completely submerged in the deluge.
The most striking scene was at the nearby Aldi store. It looked more like a swimming pool than a supermarket this afternoon, with its car park almost entirely submerged in water.
Welsh Water is still continuing to pump gallons of water out of the car park.
The Argus visited the scene this afternoon to get the thoughts of locals living nearby, some who were caught up in the chaos.
We spoke to Mr and Mrs Baker, who live opposite Lliswerry High School.
Mrs Barker said: “It was a nightmare getting the kids to school this morning.
“There was also a lot of confusion about what was going on with the high school – some kids had gone in but then on Facebook parents were telling others not to go in.”
“We had some issues with colour disfiguration with the water this morning,” Mr Barker added.
“It was pretty murky looking, and we have a dip in the pressure, but things seem to be back to normal now.”
Another resident said they weren’t aware of any problems until they returned home.
“I got a text this morning saying that it was likely that our water pressure might drop, but I didn’t know why," they said.
“A burst water main is a burst water main, there’s not a lot we can really do at the moment but hope they get it fixed soon.”
With both the college and secondary school closed, Mina Patel – who’s owned the Nash Stores shop in Nash Road for more than 15 years – said it was an unusually quiet day for her.
“I’ve lost out on a lot of business today,” she said.
“Usually, I’m really busy all day but I’ve just been sat here watching cars go up the street then realise they have to turn round again.”
However, as water levels on the road fell, a number of frustrated drivers chose to ignore the closure signs and drove through towards the SDR roundabout.
Newport Bus were also unable to operate 42, 43 and 44 services due to the closure.
“It’s crazy, I really hope things are back open tomorrow,” Ms Patel added.
“If we’re still stranded in this situation by Monday then I’ll lose more business again.”
Newport City Council has not yet confirmed when the stretch of Nash Road will reopen.
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