Residents of Moa Street in Alexandra were treated to an impromptu water feature on Monday night (August 18) when a water pipe gave way near the New World supermarket.

A Central Otago District Council spokesperson told The Central App the council’s call centre received multiple reports of the incident at approximately 6.45pm, prompting action.

“(A) council contractor arrived on site to find large volumes of water were present,” the spokesperson said.

“Due to multiple services being present the site was hydro excavated.”

The culprit was a failed 100mm water pipe.

Roughly 20 properties had their water supply interrupted as a result.

“Council is currently assessing the condition of its reticulation networks, including the affected area,” the spokesperson said.

A video posted to a local Alexandra Facebook page of the spontaneous street fountain quickly attracted plenty of attention, with one amused local saying a “big plug” was needed to stem the flow.

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