A SEWER has burst on New Barn Road in East Cowes.

The incident reported by utility company Southern Water has caused the closure of both New Barn Road and Old Road, with repair work now underway and a diversion put in place.

The company has said no environmental damage has been caused by the burst due to wastewater being diverted directly back into the sewer network.

Southern Water has reportedly brought 30 tankers into action to minimise pollution.

Isle of Wight County Press:

The vehicles will manage wastewater flows between the site of the burst and its Springhill and Albany Road sites.

A spokesperson for Southern Water said: "We belive the repair will be complete within 48 hours once it begins, and we apologise for any disruption this work and the tanker movements may cause to homes and businesses in the area."

East Cowes councillor, and IW Council chair, Cllr Karl Love said the repair work would not be a "quick fix" and would likely last for the rest of the week and possibly over the weekend.

He added the road had to be dug up and the sewer pipe replaced, with a safety fence installed across New Barn Road to mark a work space.

The incident comes amid a busy events schedule this week at Osborne House including horse event All the Queen's Horses, and Punch and Judy.

English Heritage said a diversion is in place for All the Queen's Horses event parking and advised visitors to follow road signs.

Karl said: "This is one of the main sewer pipes which pumps sewage across the Island to the treatment factory at Sundown and the pipe, like other pipes, has fractured and needs replacing - it's not a small job.

"I will try to keep you updated and I'm sorry for the disturbance which this is going to be causing because they need to be running 24/7; otherwise the alternative is to pump all the sewage out into the Solent and we don't want that."

York Avenue is also currently closed for utility repair and maintenance works, with Southern Water estimating completion by Thursday night.