Floods bring chaos to busy street leaving businesses and homes without water

Severe flooding has left one of the most prominent roads in Brighton in chaos with hundreds of homes and businesses left without running water and property destroyed. Western Road, yards from the iconic seafront, has flooded following Tuesday's heavy downpours with the road being dug out, rebuilt and resurfaced. The on-going issues has left traders struggling, with one reporting that water has seeped into the cellar and ruined stock. During the works last week it was discovered that two more leaks from water pipes needed urgent attention, and businesses are left counting the cost after not being told when the mess will be fixed . Some fear it could last around six week after concerns were voiced. To see more of the stories you love from The Mirror and to find them easily in Google then make us your preferred source. Free and easy-to-do, just click on the link here to find more from The Mirror at the top of your feed. Hairdressers Maison Salon has had to close, as have many restaurants and coffee shops. Florian the florist is one of the worst hit by the flood and worker Rose told the Mirror : "They have said there's a water and gas leak, we've also seen a fountain of water appear which is ten foot tall. We call it Western Falls! "We're not sure who's blaming who but it's had a real impact. They're removing layers and that has cracked through. It's impacting so many people. "They are supposed to be coming back at midnight to fix the latest problem. Our cellar has now had a leak, and that has destroyed our storage boxes. It's a big problem for us. I'm not the owner of the shop but our Instagram posts tell the story." Louise Thompson-Holt, the owner of popular salon Maison, told us: "We have been severely disrupted for the last two days with multiple ruptured water pipes by the contractor on the resurfacing works of Western Road Hove. "The 45 day closure of this main high street road was inconvenient enough with access for customers and deliveries being impossible! They expected some challenges but not this many in so many days. "It is due to incompetence and tight schedules, I guess. Business owners have been left with no water, no toilet flush, cancelled clients, flooded basements. "This incompetent council are also wanting to implement a Red Route after the works, that we are fighting hard to stop!! Petitions and crowd justice money to challenge the decision." Brighton and Hove City Council said in a statement that there were two leaks - and both are the responsibility of Southern Water. Labour councillor Trevor Muten, the council’s cabinet member for transport and city infrastructure, told Brighton and Hove News: “While work was being carried out to reconstruct and resurface Western Road, contractors discovered two existing leaks from water pipes beneath the road. “Southern Water have confirmed the leaks are on their assets and are currently on site assessing and repairing the leaks. “We know the importance of identifying and addressing problems with ageing water infrastructure before they cause further disruption under the road surface. “While we’re on site, council teams will provide access for Southern Water to carry out their repairs swiftly. Anyone who notices a loss of water supply or reduced water pressure should report this directly to Southern Water as the statutory water undertaker responsible for your water supply. “The discovery also demonstrates why it is important that we get on with these major works in Western Road. “Surveys showed that the road’s underlying structure had deteriorated significantly, requiring us to go much deeper than a standard resurfacing treatment to reconstruct failed sections and address issues beneath the ageing carriageway. “We are working proactively with Southern Water to identify and resolve any further issues while the road is closed for these works, helping to reduce the risk of avoidable disruption after the reconstruction is complete." A Southern Water spokesperson said: "Our teams have repaired a number of burst water mains on Western Road, including some that were caused by accidental damage to our network by third-party contractors carrying out work in the area. "We're sorry to customers who have experienced low water pressure while these repairs have been taking place. To help maintain a reliable supply, we now need to carry out further essential work on the network. During this time, some customers may experience periods of low pressure or a temporary loss of supply. "We'll work as quickly as possible to complete the repairs and minimise disruption."