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Icicles form into 'fairytale' sculpture in Gloucestershire

Nathan Heath & Steve Knibbs
BBC News
BBC ice SculptureBBC
The burst water main that caused the icicles has now been fixed

Icicles formed into a "fairytale" sculpture after a burst water main leaked into a bush during cold weather.

Stevie Artus, 45, lives on Ledbury Road, in Staunton, near Gloucester, where the main burst on the road outside her house on 4 December.

The water main continued to leak, and as the temperature dropped to lows of -10C this week, the icicles grew longer, transforming the bush into a sculpture.

"It's phenomenal - a Christmas fairytale come true," she said.

ice Sculpture
Ms Artus said she "couldn't believe her eyes" when she first noticed the ice
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The burst water main leaked for nearly 12 days, meaning the icicles continued to grow

Like many parts of the country, Gloucestershire has been hit by freezing temperatures, with hundreds of schools closed on Monday.

Some warm spaces set up to help people keep warm while saving on their own household hills were unable to open earlier this week due to icy roads and pavements.

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Some of the icicles are nearly two metres long
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There had been some snow in Staunton this week, which Ms Artus had said added to the sculpture's beauty
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People have been coming into the village just to see the phenomenen
Ice sculpture
The burst water main was fixed on Friday
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With the temperatures expected to rise above freezing on Sunday, the icicles will not be around much longer
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