A BURST pipe destroyed part of an East Oxford road today, forcing the tarmac to erupt with water.

Murky liquid was seen spewing from a crater in Aston Street this morning, as residents crowded around in disbelief.

Thames Water said some properties might experience low water pressure or no water as a result of the leak, which started at about 8.30am.

The company said it was sending bottled water to hand out to residents, and the road remained closed into the afternoon during repair work.

The narrow residential street is located just off Iffley Road, running parallel to Magdalen Road nearby, and is a well-used route for commuters in the morning.

One car braved passage and did manage to get through before engineers arrived at 9.45am, but others had reverse or try to turn back in the other direction. 

Thames Water spokesman Michael Benke said: "We’re sorry to anyone affected by the burst on a four-inch pipe this morning.

"A number of properties in the immediate area may find they have low pressure or no water but our engineers aim to have this fixed later this afternoon.”

The company tweeted at 4pm to announce it had repaired the pipe and said water supplies 'should be returning to normal'.