Traffic was diverted from O’Callaghan Parade to Firebrace Street from 6am Thursday.

GWMWater spokeswoman Helen Friend said the water main had a leaking seal.

Investigations showed the seal had been leaking for some time.

Because the water was pooling underground, the fault was not obvious.

“Over time, it caused the pipe to burst at the join,” Mrs Friend said.

Although water was restored by 2pm, the road did not reopen until later in the afternoon. 

Council operations engineer Martin Duke said GWMWater had patched up the road above the water main. But he cautioned people to drive carefully.

“The water has soaked into the pavement,” he said.

“We are worried about the potential for further damage.”

GWMWater will return this week to make more permanent repairs.

Until then, Mr Duke said there would be signs warning motorists of the potential traffic hazard.

“We’ll be watching it,’’ he said.

“If worst comes to worst, we will shut it down again.”