UP TO 15,000 homes had to contend with disrupted water supplies yesterday after a burst main wreaked chaos.

The burst on the A494 in Llanferres, near Mold, occurred at about 8.45am with the consequences being felt across much of Flintshire throughout the day.

Communities including Mold, Connah’s Quay, Bagillt, Northop, Shotton and Hawarden were reported to be affected by the burst, which led to the A494 being closed in the Llanferres area by North Wales Police for several hours while repairs were carried out.

A spokesman for Welsh Water apologised for the inconvenience caused to residents and issued an assurance they were doing all they could to quickly rectify the problem by last night.

Welsh Water staff were on site repairing the burst, with supplies being rerouted via their water mains to minimise the impact on customers.

They tankered supplies to the nearby Pen-y-Coed Reservoir so disruption to customers was further minimised.

The spokesman added: “People in the affected areas may experience low water pressure or have no water supply at all.

“As supplies begin to return, some customers may notice a slight discoloration to their tap water.

“This is normal and should clear within a short period of time.

“If anyone has concerns about their water we would ask they call our operational helpline on 0800 0520130.”

Llanferres resident Simon Hodge, of Rectory Lane, said the incident had caused problems for many villagers.

He said: “It took my mother-in-law 50 minutes to drive from the Clwyd Gate to here, when she could normally do it in about five minutes.

“People have had to make long detours because of this problem.

“My own water supply has not been affected but I understand others have had problems with it.”

Llanferres Community Councillor Rob Armstrong, who lives near Mr Hodge, also did not have direct problems but made sure motorists did not run into trouble by going towards where the burst had occurred.

He said: “We have been making sure people did not go that way and stopped drivers to make them aware of the situation.

“It seems Llanferres itself has not been as badly affected as was feared.”

A witness at the scene described the scene as “being frozen over and like an ice rink”, with the morning bringing a three-vehicle collision on the stretch of road shortly before it was closed.

Nobody is believed to have been injured in the collision.

 The road reopened before 3pm but traffic management remained in place.