Water leak excavations

T had already been working hard all day in another part of the farm when our attention was drawn to a puddle of water where there shouldn't have been.  Our hearts sank as this could mean thousands of pounds in water bills if the pipe had been leaking for a long time - and where was the leak?  We borrowed a digger off a neighbour and fortunately after a few minutes a rusty pipe came into view.  Two households had their water supply turned off while we assessed the problem.  We weren't sure about the underground direction of the pipe.   The water was not gushing and we thought had not been seeping out for long.  Plastic pipes now run under the field carrying water to the houses and this was an old redundant one which still filled up but had been sealed off.  The pressure on the rust had burst the pipe.  T, P, who also had been working today, and N, somehow resealed the pipe and we had water for a few hours, turning it off again later at night in case the water seeped out.  The plumber will come out tomorrow, Monday morning, and do a proper job!