On the morning of September 26th, a ruptured nine-inch water main pipe resulted in the flooding of Broad Street in Birmingham city centre. Businesses on the major Birmingham street have temporarily been forced to shut their doors due to the issue. 

The Midland Metro Alliance have confirmed that its construction workers were responsible for the flooding, as they worked to expand tram services through the heart of Birmingham city centre. They have since stated: ‘we would like to apologise for the inconvenience the loss of supply has caused to businesses in the area. We thank all those affected for their patience and understanding.’

According to BBC News, the issue was reported to Severn Trent, the water provider, at around 11:30 BST, after which a tanker was brought in to increase water supply by pumping water in. Sandbags were positioned along the street in order to prevent the water from entering neighbouring buildings.  

As water continued to flood the central city route, footage taken by ITV News Central reported on the subsequent traffic delays.

The loss of the water supply meant that various establishments were left unable to operate. Restaurants, clubs, hotels, and even households in the local area were left with no washing or toilet facilities due to the low or virtually non-existent water supply.

The Library of Birmingham issued a notice on Twitter, stating that: ‘Due to a Severn Trent water supply issue we have closed the Library of Birmingham as there is no washing or toilet facilities at the Library or within the local area.’

IMPORTANT NOTICE 26/09/19: Due to a Severn Trent water supply issue we have closed the Library of Birmingham as there is no washing or toilet facilities at the Library or within the local area. The situation will be reviewed Friday 27th September.

— LibraryofBirmingham (@LibraryofBham) September 26, 2019

The manager of Rosie’s nightclub (located opposite the flooding) told Birmingham Mail that he feared for trade amid the water problems, saying: ‘It’s going to stop us from doing business if the water is still off by 10 pm tonight when we open.’

A staff member at the Broad Street Jurys Inn Hotel also told Birmingham Live: ‘You can’t run a hotel with no water. It’s not just ours though, four hotels in the area have none.’

Households as distant as Ladywood were said to be affected by the supply interruptions. Severn Trent Water issued a statement on their website that said: ‘We’re receiving reports this morning from customers in the Ladywood area, who are experiencing supply interruptions … We apologise for any interruption this may cause; we are working hard to resolve this issue as soon as possible.’