A BURST water main has ripped a huge hole in Sheephatch Lane, Tilford - likely closing the busy thoroughfare from its junction with Tilford Road until mid-April.

South East Water received reports of customers in Sheephatch Lane, which include the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association’s Islamabad base and Garner’s Field scout camp site, having no water at around 5am on Sunday, March 25.

When the water company’s technician visited the site, they found part of the road surface had collapsed and a leak on an eight-inch diameter water main.

The lane has been closed from its junction with Tilford Road since, and is expected to remain so until Monday, April 16.

Paul Mann, distribution manager at South East Water, said: “We altered the flow of water around our network to restore water supplies but approximately 12 customers were without water until 2pm that day while the repair to the pipe was carried out.”

He added: “Sheephatch Lane is currently closed from the junction with Tilford Road while the road surface is repaired. We are working closely with Surrey Highways and expect this work to be completed by April 16, although we are working hard to finish sooner.

“I would like to apologise for any inconvenience this repair work has caused the local community and thank them for their ongoing patience.”

Although a severe example, it adds to a raft of potholes and damage to road surfaces across the Farnham area caused by the recent spell of bad weather.

Large potholes have formed on several key roads across the town, with notable cases on the A325 outside the Co-op in Wrecclesham Road and in West Street near the Coxbridge roundabout.

A number of motorists have taken to Facebook to report damage to their vehicles after colliding with the potholes, one of which Jack Butterfield blames the A325 hole for blowing his tyre and chipping his alloys - causing hundreds of pounds of damage.

Jack told the Herald he intends to seek compensation from Surrey County Council for the repairs to his car.

It comes after the county council announced a new £5 million investment in the county’s roads “to help reverse the impact of the winter’s weather” last month.

Surrey has also recently been named the worst county in the UK for potholes.