TEN schools will not open today due to a burst water pipe on the Oxford ring road.

A water pipe burst yesterday morning (October 4) near Heyford Hill roundabout following a burst 24-inch diameter water main on Oxford ring road.

It caused severe flooding on the roads and pavements causing Thames Valley Police to close off the surrounding roads, foot and cycle paths as water levels increased.

READ MORE: Major road still closed and residents without water after burst pipe

Many schools closed yesterday due to the delays in traffic heading into Oxford. Though many of the surrounding roads have reopened this morning (October), some schools have remained closed due to the water supplies being impacted.

Thames Water have confirmed that 290 properties have been affected. 

The schools are:

  • Great Milton Church of England Primary School
  • Garsington Church of England Primary School
  • Horspath Church of England Primary School
  • John Watson School
  • Little Milton Church of England Primary School
  • St Laurence Church of England Primary School
  • Stadhampton Primary School
  • Wheatley Church of England School
  • Wheatley Park School
  • Wheatley Nursery School

A Thames Water spokesperson said: “We’re working to boost local water supplies, after a large pipe burst yesterday at the Heyford Hill roundabout on the Oxford Ring Road.

READ MORE: Delayed ambulance may have contributed to death of 18-year-old

“We’re sorry to customers experiencing low pressure or no water this morning as a result of the problems this has caused.

“Our engineers have been working through the night to repair the pipe but yesterday’s burst is affecting the flow of water into the area, and we’re doing all we can to improve this. We’ve sent tankers to pump water into our network and we’re opening bottled water stations on Ambassador Avenue and London Road.

“We’d also like to apologise to drivers affected by traffic disruption. We’ve had tankers on site to remove water from the road.”

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Read more from this author

This story was written by Gee Harland. She joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.

Gee covers Wallingford, Wantage and Didcot.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @Geeharland

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