Families in an Old Catton neighbourhood have called for water board officials to hurry up and fix a pipe that has been leaking since before Christmas – because it causes ice rink-like conditions on a road every time temperatures plunge.

Peter Bailey is leading calls for action after he fell from his moped when it skidded underneath a car on the slick ice on Proctor Road.

The burst water main on the road, which connects White Woman Lane and Sprowston Road, has been causing thick ice to form overnight and made driving conditions treacherous.

After the recent thaw, Mr Bailey thought he was safe to use the road again, but once again the road was perilous on his way home from work on Tuesday night of this week.

He was not badly injured in his crash, but he wants Anglian Water to get the problem fixed, before someone has an accident on the ice that is more serious.

'I came off and my bike slid under a car, but fortunately I was okay and my bike didn't damage the car, so someone helped me pull it out from under there.

'The water is flooding out from somewhere under the path next to the road and then freezing at night. I want Anglian Water to come and sort it out. I understand it is probably difficult at this time of year and there will be quite a few incidents like this, but you would have expected them to come and sort it by now.

'It was on December 20 when it first froze over and it was thick with ice. The neighbours were trying to break it up with pickaxes and things; it was very difficult to drive on.

'My neighbours and I contacted Anglian Water and I got an email back from them on December 21, but it still hasn't been sorted. We haven't got a grit bin on our road, but I don't think it would have made a difference to it anyway, it was so thick.

'The back box on the bike is damaged and there is a big gash on the side of the bike. It is still running and I have been able to keep using it. I was okay, though. Fortunately, there was a guy nearby who stopped an oncoming car.'

A spokesman for Anglian Water apologised for the delay, adding: 'We would like to thank customers for their understanding and patience as we all try to cope with what is proving to be an exceptionally harsh winter.

'The company has prepared well and has more than doubled the number of technicians and specialist contractors available to deal with bursts. Even so, these teams face have been faced with extremely difficult conditions and are working around the clock to maintain supplies.

'As you would expect, we are giving priority to large bursts and this means we may not get to smaller leaks as quickly as we would like. However, we do still need to know about them and would ask people to call them in on 0800 771 881, and we will fix them as soon as we can.'

Has a pipe been leaking in your street for several weeks or more? Call reporter David Freezer on 01603 772418 or email david.freezer@archant.co.uk