A BURST water main caused chaos in a busy York shopping street today, flooding a supermarket and leaving a caf knee-deep in water.

Staff at Safeway, in Front Street, Acomb, turned up to work today to find the shop floor covered in water.

The shop was shut while workers shelved their usual jobs to frantically mop up. It reopened at 11.30am.

The owners of nearby Haci's caf and take-away were called to their business at about 6.30am today when an upstairs resident saw water pouring in.

The 12-inch main, which burst outside CBITS computer shop and Churchill's estate agent, ripped up several feet of pavement, left a crack in the road and scattered mud, silt and debris around Front Street.

The water poured across Front Street and into Haci's and Safeway.

Emel Dag, who works at Haci's, said the water was up to her knees when she got to the caf.

She said the business would be forced to stay shut today, losing about £1,000 in business.

Miss Dag said: "It is our busiest day. We will try and get the take-away open for tomorrow but at the minute we just don't know.

"We have no electricity and are not sure if any stock has been damaged."

The water had also flooded part of Superdrug, seeping into the store's entrance and one of its aisles.

Manager Sue Phillips said she planned to open 90 minutes late, which would cost the business about £300.

Shoppers Ken and Eleanor Pidd, of Dringhouses, said they visit Safeway most Saturdays.

Mr Pidd said: "It is a bit of a shock this.

"It is terrible. I feel sorry for the workers.

"We have lived here 11 years and have never seen anything like this."

A Yorkshire Water spokesman said the company was alerted at 6.35am and the water was off by 7.25am. Contractors were at the scene by about 9am to dig up the road and repair the mains.

One fire engine and a specialist salvage unit, which carries flood related equipment, attended the incident.

Leading firefighter Nick Wright said: "We have mainly been pumping out.

"Mains don't burst like this very often but when they do they make a real mess."

Updated: 12:40 Saturday, April 17, 2004