GALLONS of water flowed from a leak on an Oswestry street – while the company responsible was urging people to consider their water use.

The water ran along Upper Brook Street and on to Church Street last week.

Several traders reported the leak to Severn Trent.

John Read, who runs an antiques business in Church Street, said: “I have been having texts from Severn Trent saying to ‘be more abstemious in your water use, we have got enough but we’re having trouble processing it’.

“But it does seem a terrible waste.”

He added there “must have been thousands of gallons going down the drains”.

Another nearby trader told how some customers had pointed out the irony of Severn Trent’s calls when the water was leaking down the street.

West Mercia Police’s Oswestry Safer Neighbourhood Team posted on Twitter that officers were aware of the leak.

A spokesman for Severn Trent said: “We received reports of a burst water pipe in Upper Brook Street, Oswestry, and sent out a team straightaway to investigate.

“We’re sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused and we want to ensure everybody that once repairs began, our engineers worked as quickly as possible to get everything back to normal.”

The repairs have now been completed and the leak has been stopped.