Birmingham street is flooded on driest day of the year...
Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2018 2:57 pm
Fire, police and ambulance have been at Wheeler Street since 8am this morning
A section of a city street partially collapsed after being hit by devastating floods, caused by a burst water main.
The drama began shortly after 8am today when the pipe burst in Wheeler Street , Newtown.
Within hours, cars were submerged and homes were flooded out - with some residents having to be rescued.
Now a dramatic picture shows how part of Wheeler Street began to collapse under the sheer weight of the water.
West Midlands Fire Service and Severn Trent Water have been working at the scene and water levels were said to be dropping by 11am.
In his statement, station commander Marc Hudson said: “We’ve now isolated the water so now it’s about going into what we would class as the recovery phase and bringing business back to normal for the Aston area.
“It’s about getting the road back to normal, back open and getting the water level to drop again further so people can go about their day to day business.”
He said they were working with a team from Birmingham City Council to get evacuated residents back into their homes, once safe.
Bus diversions are also in place.
The number 46 to the city will be diverted via Lozells Road, Six Ways Islands, High Street, Newtown Row, New John street West, Lucas Island and Well Street.
