A BURST water main which left more than 3,000 residents cut off for several hours has sparked fears that Crewe's aged pipework is overstretched.

The 18in pipe, which split at 3.30am yesterday, uprooted pavements and tarmac along a stretch of West Street, near Merrill's Bridge.

Schools were forced to send pupils home and shop owners lost thousands of pounds in trade as closed roads and long diversions caused traffic chaos.

The burst pipe, which carries water to thousands of homes in the West End, has increased pressure on United Utilities to conduct repairs.

Chris Harvey, 59, who runs The Corner Store, on West Street, warned firms would suffer if a major overhaul was not carried out and called for urgent action.

He said: 'I've had a walk down to where the pipe burst and it's blown about 10 flags of the pavement up before spreading out into the road.

'When you have no water, you can't have a wash, make a cup of tea or even flush the toilet. Normal life goes out the window, let alone running a business.'

Mr Harvey said homes and shops in the West End had suffered worsening problems with their utility pipes and had repeatedly called on the water companies for help.

Cllr Howard Curran, who lives near the burst main on Sunnybank Avenue, said repair work on Valley Park and Queen's Park Drive were long overdue.

He said: 'We have had a lot of new houses added on to an old system that is struggling to cope. Unfortunately, things aren't updated until there's a major problem.'

Police officers from the West End station were drafted in to close the road when workmen realised the uprooted surface was a danger to the public.

A spokesman said: 'We had to close the street so workmen could locate the fault.'

Nearby Underwood West Junior School and Lodgefields Primary were forced to turn away hundreds of pupils when staff noticed supplies had been cut.

Underwood West head Jane Tomlinson said: 'We have had to close the school because of health and safety standards. We have no flushing toilets and no running water.

A spokeswoman for United Utilities said: 'We have managed to reroute supplies and our workforce is trying to fix the problem as quickly as possible.'