RESIDENTS were drenched with water when workers burst a pipe and sent a powerful jet gushing 70ft into the air.
Builders were left mopping up when they knocked off a valve and sent water cascading over houses near the site in Longbenton, Newcastle.
On resident said: "There was an almighty rumble and all of a sudden there was a whoosh and all this water shot into the air. Everyone got soaked."
The water supply in the area was cut off after the blunder, although homes were unaffected.
Alastair Baker, from Northumbrian Water, said: "Luckily, we didn't have to cut off the water to nearby homes, although the water was discoloured for a while."
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