A MAJOR clean up operation has taken place – two days after a burst water main left homes and roads flooded.

The Bolton News told earlier this week how neighbours in Lostock were left battling the torrent after a 30cm pump pipe burst at about 6.30am on Tuesday.

They desperately tried to brush the water away while others tried to build barriers to keep the water at bay but as water levels continued to rise many resorted to just moving as much as they could out of the way.

Neighbours battle flood in St Andrews Road and Links Drive, Lostock, as reservoir pipe bursts

At least five homes on St Andrews Road and Links Drive had been affected with some driveways under about a foot of water.

The clean up started yesterday morning when United Utilities workers shovelled piles of mud and leaves into skips while others drained remaining flood water out of the drains and road.

Residents praised the clean-up effort and said the situation could have been much worse.

Links Drive resident Shellie Raja said: "They've done a good job clearing up. There were lots of men out this morning and they've been sorting it out.

"We all did our best yesterday and we're relieved because we've been reasonably lucky. If the water hadn't been shut off when it was it would have been worse."

Another neighbour added: "There was a lot of mud and leaves left when it went down. The clean up has been brilliant, they were out at the top of the road yesterday and down here today."

Engineers from United Utilities were first called to the burst pipe at about 7.20am on Tuesday, according to a spokesman, and quickly got to work shutting the water off.

But the spokesman added that the job had taken longer than some residents had hoped for because the burst pipe was part of a system that provided water to 3,000 homes and they had to make sure there was enough water in the storage reservoirs before shutting the water off.