SEVERAL inches of water flooded Malvern's Safeway supermarket after a mains burst on New Year's Day.

An automatic alarm alerted firefighters at 7.40am, after water pressure in the sprinkler system fell. Fire crews could not get into the building, so they alerted the police, who contacted the key holder.

Store manager Andre Batchelor said: "It was a burst in the main which goes into the store at the bakery.

"We're not certain why it happened at the moment, we can only guess, but the pressure fell in the fire system and that set off the alarm.

"There were 13 members of staff who came in of their own accord on New Year's Day and worked up to eight or nine hours to put things straight.

"Thanks to their efforts, the store was able to open as normal the next day. There had been several inches of water in some places, but they cleaned it all up and made it safe."

Fire brigade spokesman Alec Mackie said they had been called out to several incidents involving burst water pipes across the county over the New Year period.