A spectacular fountain of water jetted higher than surrounding buildings after gas engineers accidentally smashed through a water main in Bradford on Avon.

They had been called in by Octavius Infrastructure Ltd to disconnect a gas main during work for Network Rail to replace a road over rail bridge in St Margaret’s Street.

Passer-by, retired architect Martin Valatin, was watching. He said: “This was by far the biggest and most powerful burst water main I have ever seen. I imagine there were red faces at Octavius, and the subcontractor.

"They came to disconnect the gas main and managed to break the water main."

The incident on Thursday affected the water services to nearby properties in St Margaret’s Street and households on St Margaret's Hill.

Andrew Nicholson, 70, added: “A powerful geyser of water was jetting vertically upwards from the road surface behind the site barriers and a little north (town side) of the bridge.

“It was higher than the houses on either side: I also saw it from Frome Road, above the roof ridges. It is likely that subcontractor works were the cause. 

“It was cascading down onto the roof of a digger. Several workers in orange hi-vis workwear were standing around watching it, apparently unable to do anything about it and evidently waiting for specialists to arrive, perhaps from Wessex Water.

“A river of water was running down St Margaret's Street past the United Church, St Margaret's Hill and the almshouses on the Frome Road corner, across the road at the Station Approach mini-roundabout, and down Station Approach where it was pooling just in front of the Bradford-on-Avon Railway Station building.

“Vehicle tyres were tracking water in both directions - along Frome Road and down St Margaret's Street towards the Town Bridge.

“When I returned after dark the burst had been mended and the entrance to the closed section of St Margaret's Street was very heavily salted.”

Octavius is working under contract to Network Rail to replace the dilapidated bridge in St Margaret’s Street in a project involving an eight-month road closure.

The company has been contacted for a comment.

Work to replace the St Margaret Street railway bridge began in September, this year and should be completed by April.

During this period the road will be closed and there will be a partial closure of St Margaret’s Place adjacent to the bridge.

Traffic that would normally use the one-way St Margaret’s Street is being diverted along Frome Road and Junction Road to the Trowbridge Road while the works take place.