Circus-goers on Hampstead Heath got a shock today when walking down from the Heath they were confronted with a water main shooting water high into the air on the corner of Pilgrim’s Lane and Willow Road in Hampstead.

Rosslyn Hill resident Sally Platt had been photographing the horses at Zippo’s circus on the Heath when she saw the jet of water being fired into the sky, high above the buildings on the road which faces the Heath.

Sally told the Ham&High: “It was huge, walking back from the Heath it was drawing a crowd. I asked them what had happened and the builders said it was a burst main that had been encased in concrete, and they had had to crack that open.

“They tried to cover the fountain by putting their digger on top of it, but I can’t say it seemed to be working.”

The 4-inch pipe burst just after midday.

According to Thames Water, 22 homes were without water in the aftermath of the burst pipe - however it has now been restored to them.

A Thames Water spokesperson said: “We’re sorry to any customers who experienced no water or low pressure following the burst to the water main. Our engineers responded quickly to stop water flowing from the pipe and are working hard to fix the issue to get things back to normal as soon as possible.”