A burst water main is causing flooding and disruption outside shops in Stevenage town centre today.

The Comet: Affinity water are attending the scene of the burst and are due to carry out the repair this evening in Stevenage.Affinity water are attending the scene of the burst and are due to carry out the repair this evening in Stevenage. (Image: Archant)

The flooding in Queensway is believed to have started at about 8am directly outside Costa Coffee and technicians are currently at the scene.

A member of staff at Costa said: “We are going to have to close the shop early.

“The water started suddenly, I looked outside and it looked like the pavement was moving.

“The workers are still outside, they said our water will be turned off at 4pm while they carry out the repair.”

The staff member added that none of the flood water had got into the Costa store.

An Affinity spokesperson said: “We are sorry for any inconvenience caused by a burst on a 6” water main in Queensway.

“Affinity water technicians shut down the main to begin repairs at 12 noon after detecting a leak on our network in the area.

“Barriers have been put in place to ensure the safety of commuters and our technicians working to repair the main.

Rest assured, our technicians are working hard to repair the main as quickly as possible and we would like to thank our customers for their patience whilst we carry out this work.

As they are diverting water from other areas, pressure may be lower than usual to homes affected while the repair takes place this evening.

Affinity has asked homes in the area to not use any electrical appliances that require a water supply, such as washing machines or dishwashers and to conserve water from storage tanks during the time the water supply is interrupted.

For the latest update on the situation visit www.affinitywater.co.uk/alerts.