A main road through a Pembrokeshire town centre has reopened after a burst water main sent a ‘fountain’ of water spurting at least five metres into the air.
A stretch of the A487 in West Street, known locally as the Golden Mile, was shut between the Ropewalk and Co-op junctions on Monday, July 27, following the dramatic incident.
The water main is understood to have burst late on Monday afternoon, with residents receiving notification from Welsh Water of low pressure or no water shortly before 6pm.
Locals captured photographs and videos showing water gushing high above surrounding buildings after the main burst, with the footage quickly attracting attention locally.
Some quipped that Fishguard had always needed a town centre fountain while the local greening group made the most of the opportunity to fill up their watering cans and give the surrounding flowerbeds and containers a much-needed drink.
On Monday evening, some households were without water for around three hours, with the water not running clear until around midnight.
Welsh Water has since confirmed the damaged pipe has been repaired and water supplies to affected customers have been restored.
However, the road closure remained in place yesterday while work continued in the area.
The road remained closed at 10pm last night but had reopened by 8.30am this morning, Wednesday, July 29.
A spokesman for Welsh Water said: "Our teams repaired a leak on our water main in West Street, Fishguard on Monday.
"The repair has been completed, and all supplies have been restored.
"We would like to apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused by the work."
The incident comes during a period of significant pressure on water infrastructure across west Wales following weeks of hot, dry weather.
Welsh Water has reported an increase in leaks and burst mains as prolonged high temperatures cause the ground to harden and shift, increasing stress on underground pipes.
The utility company recently introduced a hosepipe ban covering parts of north Pembrokeshire, alongside areas of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, after what it described as exceptionally high demand for drinking water.
Around 33,000 properties are affected by the restrictions, which came into force earlier this month.
The ban includes communities in north Pembrokeshire such as Newport, Crymych, Nevern, and Llanfyrnach, with Welsh Water saying demand has remained significantly higher than normal for several weeks.
The company said the challenge was not a lack of water in reservoirs but producing and moving enough treated water around the network to meet demand.
Last year Welsh Water warned reservoir levels in parts of north Pembrokeshire were significantly below normal after one of the driest springs on record, highlighting concerns about the growing impact of prolonged dry weather on the region's water network.
While Fishguard itself is not within the area covered by the current hosepipe restrictions, the burst serves as another reminder of the challenges facing water infrastructure across west Wales during extended periods of heat and dry weather.
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