ENGINEERS working on a burst water main alongside the A14 are taking longer than expected - meaning one lane remains closed.

One lane, at the Girton Interchange, is closed off to traffic from Huntingdon into the city.

A spokesman for Cambridge Water said contractors are working around the clock to resolve the situation but “the repairs are hampered due to the fact the water main has burst underneath a concrete culvert which channels a natural water course alongside the dual carriageway”.

Simon Crow, Cambridge Water’s customer operations manager, said: “We are working in partnership with the Highways Agency, local authorities and other utilities.

“Our first priority has been to ensure all of our customers have a water supply. Three customers in Hale Farm Close were initially provided with bottled water until we could get a temporary water supply installed.

“Our second priority is to minimise disruption as far as possible to traffic along the A14. Repairing water main has been challenging for us, but we are working to get it resolved as quickly as possible.

“As soon as we have any updates we will notify customers via our website and the media.

“We would like to apologise for any disruption this emergency work has caused and thank people for their patience.”