A ROAD in Bicester will be closed until the weekend after it was flooded by a burst water main that also disrupted supply to homes.

Thames Water said it would work 'around the clock' to fix the pipe on Bucknell Road, which was closed by police after the pipe burst this morning.

Witnesses said huge streams of water gushed out onto the road, with four homes experiencing 'minor flooding', according to the water company.

The pipe burst underneath the Bucknell Road Railway bridge and a structural engineer from Network Rail was set to access the bridge before repairs began.

Thames Water spokeswoman Abby Turner wrote: "We’ve now had clearance from Network Rail to start our repair work and expect the road to remain closed heading into the weekend while we complete the job.

"We’ll be working around the clock to fix the pipe."

Howes Lane and Shakespeare Drive, which lead to the area, have also been closed, although Thames Water did not confirm when they will reopen.

Firefighters from Bicester and Eynsham have been working with Thames Valley Police and Thames Water to fix the 'significant external flooding' caused by the burst pipe.

Bicester Advertiser:

Thames Water apologised to its customers in the OX26 area who have 'no water or low pressure' after the pipe split. 

Ms Turner earlier wrote: “We’re really sorry for the disruption caused by a burst on a nine-inch wide water pipe in Bicester this morning.

"We reacted quickly to the leak and Bucknell Road is closed so repairs can be carried out safely.

"Our engineers are working hard to get everything back to normal as soon as possible.”

The company earlier said it expected water supply to be returned to customers 'this morning', but bottled water could be supplied if necessary, and that staff would be assisting the households which have experienced flooding.

Writing on a Bicester Faceboook page, Jacqui Baker wrote: "Burst water main... Closed most of day. Road traffic horrendous."