A burst water main in a tunnel near Epsom Downs Racecourse has closed a main road and reportedly caused "bedlam", according to an eyewitness.

The water main is on Langley Vale Road which runs parallel to one side of the racecourse.

A pipe burst on the road in July, causing the road to be closed.

An eyewitness said: "I had warned a Thames Water engineer earlier this year that I had seen water escaping but he said the racecourse were watering the course.

"I could not see any pipes going and the water was seeping through the concrete walls.

"It is bedlam here."

Theodore Zac, co-owner of the Rubbing House pub on Langley Vale Road is frustrated by the subsequent road closure.

He said: "Cars can’t drive through and so my business gets badly affected whenever this happens.

"Today we should be full at this time but at the moment we’re about a quarter full because customers are having to walk through the fields and mud to get here."

Thames Water released a statement apologising for the ongoing situation as repair work is set to go into the night.

It read: "We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused and we are working as fast as we can to get the water pumped away.

"We have also got a team ready to begin repairing the pipe and they’ll work into the night to get the job done.

"We understand it is frustrating that this isn’t the first time there has been a burst in the area and we are investigating options to reduce the risk of further issues, including replacing the pipe and changing how we manage the flow of water through it."