A WISBECH pub remains open for business despite being flooded when a water main burst, leaving a neighbouring family stranded.

The Royal Standard was hit by six inches of flood water and customers couldn’t get into the car park, on Elm Low Road.

The flood, which is thought to have been caused by a lorry that passed by ongoing works at 11am, has tonight left 60 homes without water.

The pub recently had a �37,000 refurbishment and manager Sarah Burt said: “It has caused havoc. We’ve lost a lot of business as no one could get in. We’ve had to close the kitchen until the cleaners get here later.”

Stuart Walker, a March taxi driver who lives next to the pub, was on his way out when he saw water cascading from the main road into his garden.

He said: “I couldn’t get to the car, the water was so deep. My bins were floating and the water was coming out so fast, it felt like it had a current.

“We’ve had a problem for two years with leaks. They get fixed regularly, and the water company was trying to find a leak last night.

“They thought they had found the cause of the leak and they were coming here this morning to patch it up, but a lorry went past whilst they were working on it and caused the mains pipe to burst.”

Mr Walker took refuge in the pub along with his wife Louise and son Jacob, after their home was blocked off by a suction truck draining the water from their garden and garage.

The burst main has meant the water company has closed the supply to houses in the area, and the work on the pipes has caused half mile tailbacks leading to the A47.

At 3pm, water was still coming through the walls in the pub’s cellar, but the kitchen and car park had been drained completely, with one of the three suction trucks having to be emptied four times.

Mr Walker and his family have had to put up with mould in their house because of the leaks, despite redecorating and damp-proofing their home.

Mike Harvey, from Anglian Water, said: “We have found the leak, and we should have it fixed by about half eight this evening.”

An Anglian Water spokesman said: “We would like to apologise for the problems caused by today’s burst on a water main in Elm Low Road, Wisbech.

“The burst occurred at about 11.30 this morning as our engineers were investigating the cause of an ongoing leak in the area. While the burst has now been isolated and the leak stopped, about 60 properties in neighbouring Elm Low Road remain without water.

“The water main affected is very deep, having been built underneath a canal which used to run through the area and it is taking a long time to excavate.

“We will be working through the night and hope to have the main repaired and water supplies restored by tomorrow morning.”