Burst water main sends rocks crashing into family home

The Gregory family home suffered extensive flooding

A family of five have been left homeless after a burst water main sent a huge jet of water and rocks crashing into their house.

Leigh Gregory, his wife and three children were woken by debris smashing windows of their home in Chester Green, Derby, on Sunday morning.

They huddled on a top floor for six hours before being able to leave.

Severn Trent Water apologised for the issue, which damaged several properties and cars in the area.

Some eyewitnesses described the sound of the pipe bursting in Mansfield Road as "like a bomb going off".

Another Mansfield Road resident said her car was "a write-off" after being hit by rubble and a number of properties suffered flooding.

A number of roads have also been shut to traffic while the burst main is repaired.

Mr Gregory said: "We were woken at about 02:00 with a strange noise and what seemed like bad hail - but I soon realised when bricks came through the window that wasn't it.

"We escaped to the top floor - myself, my wife, the children a dog and two cats - and were stuck there till about 08:00.

"None of us had got any shoes and there was glass all over the place so we were a bit stuck.

Water and rocks came crashing through first floor windows

"Obviously we could see what was happening through the window - water was coming into the first floor bedroom and a landing window. It was a bit of a mess really."

Mr Gregory said the family were planning to rent somewhere until they are able to return to their home.

He said the family had home insurance but repairs were likely to take about three months.

The position of the family's house put it in direct path of the water flume