A huge water fountain sprung up on Littleton Road in Kersal, Salford, after a water hydrant burst today.
Taken at around 7pm on Sunday 5 June, video shot by one SalfordOnline.com reader shows plumes of water shooting 40ft into the air, above the height of local homes.
Deyar Hawizi was on the 93 bus between Bury and Manchester when he captured the footage from the top deck.
He said: “I was shocked to be honest. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
It’s thought the hydrant was broken at around noon today.
United Utilities said its engineers had been called to the area on Sunday afternoon but they had been “threatened by youths” and did not feel safe enough to stay and complete repairs.
“We are aware of the issue but our engineers will be unable to fix the problem until we are able to clear the local area with the help of police,” a spokesperson said.
“We have had a number of report that this has been maliciously caused.
“I feel very sorry for the customers who have to endure this.”
The video shows gallons of water spurting high above the height of local homes, splashing down into the street.
Some local kids enjoying the water are seen throwing wheelie bins towards the high-pressure vertical fountain.
The water authority believe the hydrant was vandalised and said it was dealing with at least seven similar problems across Greater Manchester today.
These ground-level hydrants are used by firefighters when they need to tap into the local water supply.
Damaging them is extremely dangerous and could cost lives, a spokesperson for United Utilities said.
“Our priority is to continue the supply for emergency services and for our customers,” he said.
“It was only yesterday when there was a fire in the 20th storey of a tower block on Salford precinct.
Video: 20 firefighters tackle 20th floor Salford high-rise blaze
“When that happened, someone had already set off a fire hydrant further up the road.
“If they don’t have access to these hydrants it can impair the ability of the emergency services to tackle incidents.”
The damage to the hydrant would not cut off water supply to local homes but some residents in Kersal may experience lower water pressure.
“Unfortunately there are some people who are intent on damaging the supply,” he added.
“What we would say to residents is to urge them if they see this happening to report it to police on 101.”
