Left: The driver of this car attempted to wash his vehicle under a broken fire hydrant last week. Water sprayed into the air and down the drain for about 90 minutes.A water official works on the broken hydrant while a tow-truck driver surveys the stranded car.By Callan Date
A STRING of blunders in Hallam last week resulted in thousands of litres of water being wasted, a damaged car and business and one embarrassed motorist.
The drama started at about 3.15pm last Thursday when a truck hit a fire hydrant outside Hallam Home Heating on the corner of Centre Road and Rimfire Drive.
The collision caused water to spurt 20 metres into the air and sparked an impromptu car wash for several motorists who drove through the water to give their car a wash.
However, a man driving a blue Holden Commodore soon regretted taking advantage of the free clean after his car became stuck on a gutter and his interior was inundated.
Witnesses said the man had forgotten to close one of his rear windows as he drove under the water.
Hallam Home Heating owner Jim Van Der Zalm said he could hardly believe the comedy of errors that occurred outside his business.
“The water was running for about 90 minutes and there would have been about five or six cars that drove through trying to give their cars a wash. This guy just backed up too far and got stuck,” Mr Van Der Zalm said.
He said the water had sprayed on to his factory and caused more than $10,000 of damage to stock stored in a back room.
“It has leaked through the back wall here. A lot of this is just chipboard shelving so it might have to be replaced.”
Other businesses in the area were also affected by the accident as the mains water supply had to be turned off for several hours until the hydrant was repaired.
Mr Van Der Zalm, who has operated Hallam Home Heating for four years, said the damage to his stock would be covered by insurance.
“I just can’t believe how much water was wasted,” he said.
Cranbourne Police attended the scene and said no charges would be laid over the incident.
