A burst water main which left more than 400 properties without water has destroyed a garden wall, almost flooding a villager's home.

On Friday evening one of the main pipelines on Whalley Road burst, flooding Jackie Goodlad's Chapel Rise garden and destroying her garden wall, in yet another incident in what is becoming a long and drawn out saga between United Utilities and residents of Billington in the Ribble Valley,

For months now, people living in the village have been plagued by high water pressure issues, leaking pipes and burst water mains.

READ: More than 400 Ribble Valley homes left without water as United Utilities saga gets 'beyond a joke'

The problems have been so disruptive that even the local MP, Nigel Evans has waded in on the issue, which United Utilities insist they are trying to fix.

However, the latest burst was so severe that Mrs Goodlad is now worried about an embankment that holds the road up, saying a further burst could potentially cause a landslide.

%image('12137923', type='article-full', caption='The damage caused to Jackie's garden due to the burst pipe on Friday night, which left 400 households in Billington without water', alt='The damage caused to Jackie's garden due to the burst pipe on Friday night, which left 400 households in Billington without water')

She said: "United Utilities had assessors out on Sunday morning and are coming back to see us this week.

"Our concerns are the steel enforcement that took the full impact of the water that holds the road up and stops it land sliding.

"We definitely need a structural engineer to reassure us firstly that the pipe issue is rectified and secondly that the steel enforcement hasn't been weakened in any way.

"I've contacted both Ged Mirfin and Nigel Evans for help but United Utilities certainly need to investigate this thoroughly."

READ: United Utilities compensation is 'not enough' - Nigel Evans MP 'wades-in' on Billington water issues

Whalley and Painter Wood councillor, Cllr Ged Mirfin said the bursts were far more serious and took longer to resolve than United Utilities indicated.

He commented: "It's fortunate that a garden wall was in place otherwise a veritable tsunami of water could have cascaded down Chapel Rise flooding several houses.

"Jackie and her husband are now worried about the embankment which runs past the back of her house along the main road above.

"United Utilities need to ensure that adequate levels of compensation are paid to rectify the damage caused and to rebuild Jackie's garden wall and ensure the stability of the embankment.

"Despite their protestations that the issue of high water pressure is being resolved, Friday night demonstrated in no uncertain terms that United Utilities have failed to get to grips with this problem.

"The force of water taken to knock down a wall is a reminder of the potential of water under high pressure in a main water main when it bursts."

%image('12137924', type='article-full', caption='The damage caused to Jackie's garden due to the burst pipe on Friday night, which left 400 households in Billington without water', alt='The damage caused to Jackie's garden due to the burst pipe on Friday night, which left 400 households in Billington without water')

Cllr Mirfin said he would be calling on the Chief Executive to publish a full and frank report on the high water pressure in the village and to propose a plan of action for putting it right.

Billington and Langho councillor, Cllr Tony Austin suggested the burst on Friday evening may have happened following the installation of pressure regulators close to Billington Gardens and Pasturelands Drive.

READ: United Utilities offer Ribble Valley residents 'insulting' £25 as 'sorry' for continuous water problems

He said that when commenting on the planning application for building the latest estate about three years ago, which is when the problems began, United Utilities should have requested Section 106 money from the developer for the replacement of the nearby main pipeline, especially if they'd had any idea that the main pipelines would be over-stressed by water supply to the new houses.

He said: "Ribble Valley Borough Council requests the Board of United Utilities to satisfy its legal obligations to provide an uninterrupted supply of fresh water to the whole village of Billington in Lancashire, in light of the recent failure to supply water on Friday December 11 to 440 homes for six and a half hours and 23 similar bursts over the last three years."

An emergency motion on the issue is due before full council of Ribble Valley Borough Council on Tuesday evening.

%image('12137925', type='article-full', caption='The damage caused to Jackie's garden due to the burst pipe on Friday night, which left 400 households in Billington without water', alt='The damage caused to Jackie's garden due to the burst pipe on Friday night, which left 400 households in Billington without water')

A spokesperson for United Utilities said: “We’re very sorry for the disruption caused when a water main burst in Billington on Friday afternoon.

"Our engineers responded quickly and we arranged for our water on wheels tankers to pump into the supply network while the site team were isolating and repairing the burst main.

"Water supplies to all properties were restored later on Friday evening.

“Unfortunately the burst pipe caused some flooding in gardens nearby and we started to make contact with these householders on Friday evening.

"We helped with the clean up on Saturday morning and our insurance team is working closely with those affected to ensure we repair any damage and provide any further assistance that might be needed.

“We are committed to improving the situation for local residents.

"Additional pressure management valves are to be installed in the area and we are considering further options to improve the resilience of the local water network.

"We will write to residents to update them in the New Year when we have more information.

"We will of course be compensating the householder for the damaged wall and any other damage caused by the burst pipe."