People living in The Drift, off Norwich Road, said at its height, water gushing from the leak turned their sloping street into a river.

Fire crews cleared drains so water could escape.

Anglian Water engineers are now on site. Part of The Drift has been cordoned off by police.

Quantities of sand have been washed down the street. It's not clear when the road will re-open.

Rod Harper, 59, who lives on The Drift, said: 'A burst main pushed the road up and has made it unstable.

'They will have to bring the road up to see what damage has been done underneath. The water went all the way down the road like a river.

'Fortunately, it didn't do any damage to properties.'

Anglian Water said some customers had suffered low pressure or had their water cut off after the burst.

A spokesman said: 'We are sorry some customers in Fakenham experienced low water pressure or no water at all today.

'Our teams attended a water mains burst near the Fakenham water tower. We have re-routed water supplies around the burst and water supplies should be returning normal, but it will take time for the network to refill and get back up to normal pressure.

'The water may appear cloudy or discoloured, but if customers run their tap for a short while this should clear. If households are still having problems, please contact us on 03457 145145 or via facebook or twitter.'