PART OF Bournemouth town centre was both flooded and without power yesterday afternoon following a burst water pipe and a power cut that affected over 300 properties.

And two utility companies are now in dispute over which problem caused the other, with an electricity company claiming the water leak caused the power cut and Bournemouth’s water supplier stating the opposite.

Repair works are being carried out by Bournemouth Water this morning at the site of a bus shelter in Gervis Place. Yellow Bus services 4a, 4b, 4c and 6 are no longer running from that stop as a result and are picking up passengers on Westover Road opposite the cinema

Police closed Gervis Place at both ends of the road yesterday after a water leak caused it to flood shortly after midday. There was flooding on the road behind House of Fraser and water was pouring out of a drain outside the store and into the Lower Gardens.

Bournemouth Water engineers were on site identifying the source of the leak, which was discovered to be a spur pipe connected to the mains. The water supply was temporarily shut off but restored at around 2pm, although repair crews stayed onsite for the remainder of the day fixing the damaged pipe.

A Bournemouth Water spokesperson said: “A burst water pipe at Gervis Place was interrupting the water supply to customers in the general area, including the East Cliff. The leak was off a connection to a 12 inch main, but not on the main itself.

“The water supply to customers is now restored. Please accept our apologies for the disturbance and inconvenience caused.”

They added “it was an electricity contractor that caused the leak”, claiming the pipe was hit.

Meanwhile, fire crews were sent to the scene to help police evacuate businesses bordering Gervis Place, as there was concern for live cables under the road. Other shops affected by the power cut included The Obscura Cafe, EE, Pandora, House of Fraser, Cath Kidston, Karen Millen and Austin Reed.

Yellow Buses and morebus were delayed after being diverted via Westover Road and staff were deployed to redirect passengers from the Gervis Place bus stops. Town rangers helped police to manage traffic at the pedestrian crossing near Westover Road due to the power cut, which was fixed by 2pm.

Southern Electric Power Distribution said after carrying out a preliminary investigation they found the electricity supply was disrupted after the water leak began in the town. A spokesman said: “We re-routed supplies remotely from a nearby substation. We therefore had no contractors on site when the leak began. The burst main is approximately three metres away from our underground cables, and it is likely that the water seeping into the ground dislodged our cables, causing the electrical fault."

He added: “We strongly refute suggestions that our engineers caused the water leak.”

 

Shops forced to close during peak trading hours

"It's just been a wasted day."

That was the view of one of many traders forced to close their doors to customers after yesterday's power cut and water leak.

Shops in Gervis Place, Westover Road and The Arcade had to shut for nearly two hours during peak trading time between midday and 2pm following a power cut that affected around 300 properties.

And premises bordering Gervis Place, such as House of Fraser and Space NK, were also evacuated due to flooding from a burst water pipe.

Carla Player, assistant manager at Space NK, said yesterday: “We were one of the first to be evacuated after House of Fraser. The police said it was dangerous due to the risk of a water leak explosion. I was a bit worried about what we were going to do. I nearly sent everyone home.”

She continued: “The police told us the power cut would last for five hours and it was just over an hour in the end, so it’s been a lot quicker than we thought.

“But it’s affected us as our busiest time is between 12 and 2pm. Since we’ve opened, we’ve picked up again but I’m worried most people would have given up and gone home after what’s happened.”

Calvin Smith, manager of Westover Gallery, said: “It’s just been a wasted day. It’s cost us a day’s trading and it should have been a great day for it with the weather being warm but a bit rainy. People, especially holidaymakers, just won’t come back again now.”

Darren Hatcher, branch manager at Arcade Jewellers, said he sent two members of staff home when he was first told about the power cut. “It’s a major problem. On a day like today, when it’s dull and overcast, the arcade is busy but then we’ve ended up losing two hours of trade.”

And Keith Williams, owner of clothes shop Roberta, added it was not the first time an incident like this had happened. He said: “They need to get this problem sorted as it’s the second or third time in the last two or three years this has happened.

“It affected us as we couldn’t do any business with the power out. We had customers in the store at the time, so it’s been very disruptive and business isn’t easy for anybody these days.

“But in their defence, they got on to it very quickly and they did say it would take four or five hours.”

All businesses affected were able to re-open at 2pm.