A burst water main has lifted the tarmac on Bedford High Street today (Monday), just two days after a regional hosepipe ban came into effect.
The pipe burst with significant force directly outside the Bedford Learning Centre, disrupting the busy town centre road.
Anglian Water introduced a temporary water-use ban on Saturday morning (11 July 2026) at 1:01am to conserve supplies.
The restrictions followed the second-driest spring on record in the East of England, which saw three successive summer heatwaves.
Read: Bedfordians urged to ditch hosepipes as regional ban starts
Official figures show that only 39% of the expected rainfall fell across the region during that period.
Road closed
A Bedford Borough spokesperson has said: “An emergency road closure has been put in place on the High Street in Bedford town centre this morning, Monday 13 July, due to a burst water main.
“A full closure will be in effect shortly. The High Street has been closed off between the junction of St. Peter’s Street and Mill Street, with traffic being diverted to Newnham Avenue and Goldington Road.
“Anglian Water operators are on site. Businesses and pedestrian areas on the High Street have not been affected.”
An Anglian Water spokesperson said: “We are sorry some customers in Bedford High Street and the surrounding areas may have low water pressure.
“We’re aware of the issue and our engineers are working to fix this as quickly as possible. To keep our engineers, pedestrians, and road users safe while we work, a road closure will be put in place.
“Clearly signed diversion routes will be available, and we’ll remove the closure as soon as it is safe to do so.
“We understand the leak may look wasteful and appreciate the concern it can cause. Please be assured we’re treating this as a priority and will work to restore normal service as quickly as possible.
“We know this work will cause disruption for local businesses, residents and those travelling through the town centre, and we’d like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding while we carry out the repair.
“We will be updating our website as the work progresses. This can be found at anglianwater.co.uk/check.”
Update: This article was updated at 18:15 on 13 July 2026 to add a comment from Anglian Water
