The latest scenes from the town centre show the aftermath of a flood caused by a pipe under the Fleming Way redevelopment.

But people will have to wait a while longer to learn what damage, if any, has been caused by the flooding of the £33m project. 

Swindon Borough Council says it is "too soon" to say to what extent this accident has potentially delayed work on the new public transport hub, which began in September 2022 and is due to finish next autumn

Nor is the local authority able to estimate the amount of damage caused by the leak.

On Thursday morning, a failed attempt to connect a new pipe installed by Thames Water to the existing infrastructure led to gallons of water filling the ditches and paths between Unity Place and The Parade.

The road that once covered a pedestrian underpass had been lowered down to the level of the nearby shops and cafes, meaning that the water threatened to encroach into nearby stores. 

But Sandbags prevented the surging stream of water from going further than the metal fencing that surrounds the construction site.

Several Thames Water vans and engineers attended the scene of the incident that had left many homes in the SN1 postcode without running water for hours.

The utility company took steps to stop the flow of water from the pipe, then focused on pinpointing the damaged section and how best to fix it.

By 12pm, repairs to the pipe had been completed and customers' supply issues began to be sorted out.

A Thames Water spokesperson said: "We've repaired a burst water pipe on Fleming Way and all customers should be back in supply. However, our engineers will remain on site to continue with planned works to assist with the new development.

"We’re very sorry for any inconvenience caused during this time.”

On Friday morning, the water had been drained away and work on-site had resumed.

A steamroller flattened part of the new road surface while trucks transported piles of rubble and dirt as engineers worked on the now-empty pipe.

When finished, all buses previously operating from Swindon bus station and from Fleming Way will leave from a single location that also serves inter-urban bus and coach services.