SWANSDIKE'S PUBLIC ENEMA NO.1
Swansdike residents were treated to an impressive aquatic display when a mains pipe burst over the weekend, causing one unlucky villager to be catapulted high into the air.
A plume of water shot skywards from the main, which burst near the Green Man pub. Unfortunately for 54 year-old labourer Joe Gardener, the main was located directly beneath the bench upon which he had been resting.
Said Mr Gardener of his ordeal:
“I didn’t know what the hell was going on. One minute I was sitting having a smoke, the next minute, Whoosh! I was 40 feet up in the air. I don’t know what was worse, being up there or having all that water forced up my rear end. It brought my bloody breakfast back!”
Local resident Vic Smethwick witnessed the event: "It was about ten o'clock in the morning, and my wife and I were just walking to church. Suddenly, we saw this great big jet of water soaring into the air. It was at least twice as high as a house. On the top of it, we could make out Mr Gardener, waving his arms about and shouting for help. He seemed to be in some distress.
"I immediately rushed home and got my camera.”
The situation was fixed by the afternoon and Mr Gardener, once safely back on terra firma, was taken to Froghill General and kept in overnight for observation.
A spokesperson for water mains maintenance company, Pipes-U-Like, said that bursts are often caused by cold weather, though this one was unusually spectacular.
He added: "The incident was most likely due to the severe frosts we’ve been experiencing recently, and we’ll be investigating the cause in the very near future. In the meantime, we’d like to say how glad we are that Mr Gardener came through his ordeal intact.
"We’ve offered to bear the cost of repairing his trousers as a goodwill gesture.”
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