As many as 4,500 homes across southern Liverpool may be temporarily left without water after a 70ft high fountain erupted from a burst main, according to local reports.
The pipe started gushing after a water valve was damaged by work at a nearby building site in the Halewood neighborhood, the Liverpool Echo reports.
The massive jet, three times as tall as nearby houses, could be seen for miles around.
Olly Harrison, 35, who runs a farm in the area, told the Echo: “My mate was driving past and said I should go and have a look at a massive jet – a fountain of water.
“I came out of the yard and you can see it from miles away. It must be about 120ft high.
“I thought ... someone must be in trouble.
“They may have hit it with a digger.”