STUNNED staff have been working tirelessly throughout the morning after arriving at work to discover a substantial leak had destroyed stock.

Popular shoe store Clarks is likely to be closed for a number of weeks according to staff, who have been shifting fixtures all morning.

A team of three people and firefighters from Caversham Road fire station were on hand to isolate the electrics earlier today (June 19).

Some stock has been damaged and it appears a burst pipe caused light fixtures to rip from the wall.

Jonathan Kidd, team leader, said: "We have had a huge flood and we are not going to be trading for at least a week, if not longer.

"We can't say for certain what has caused it. The fire brigade has been out and isolated the electrics. Water will be dripping for at least another hour or so I imagine.

"It must have happened overnight because everything was fine when we left yesterday evening and when we arrived for work today it was chaos.

"The heat has been intense over the last few days, so it possible the temperatures caused something to burst.

Several staff and work experience arrived at work to be told they would not be shipping shoes.

Mr Kidd explained the flood was most likely caused by a burst pipe and said the shop will require substantial refurbishment before it is able to reopen.

He added: "We are looking at a full-on re-fit. The shoes around the outside appear to be fine but some stock has been damaged. We have had to try and save as many shoes as we can.

"The water is just everywhere. It must be a burst pipe. We will be closed for a while. Water has been coming from the floor above us and it is also in the basement."

A Clarks spokesman explained: “We can confirm that a water leak has led to temporary closure of the Clarks store in Reading.

"The store will remain closed whilst we safely assess the level of any damage to stock and the building, once this is complete we will be working to reopen the store as quickly as possible.”