A burst water main in Ipswich is likely to see major arterial routes through the town closed until Thursday morning.

The burst pipe has seen the closure of Commercial Road and one lane of Grafton Way, resulting in traffic chaos at rush hour this evening.

Anglian Water said the pipe was a rising main which takes used water to treatment works.

They were made aware of the burst pipe this afternoon when it was reported by the police and council.

Engineers on the scene have now identified where the problem is and are beginning repairs, however they are unsure how long it will take to finish the necessary work.

A spokesman for the company said a conservative estimate would see the roads closed until Thursday morning.

He said: “We are very, very sorry for the disruption, we know it’s not an ideal location or time but we are doing what we can to get this fixed and trying to keep disruption to a minimum.”

Yesterday the centre of Ipswich was gridlocked for hours as the stormy weather resulted in public transport being shut down and the closure of the Orwell Bridge.

Motorists reported spending several hours trying to get from one side of Ipswich to the other.