Cars frozen in ice in Port Richmond

PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - Residents say their cars have been frozen in ice for over a week in Port Richmond.

Sarah Voegel was out salting her sidewalk on Richmond Street Monday evening, but just across the street no amount of salt as going to break up the ice that's locked two vehicles in place for days now. The owner sent FOX 29 a video.

"My truck is frozen solid to the ground. My neighbor's across the street car is frozen to the ground," the owner of a truck told FOX 29.

"There's definitely a water leak. It's been coming out bad. It got worse the last 3 days," Phil Yeates, who was doing work on the block, said.

Neighbors say a truck and the compact car have been frozen in place for over a week after a water main break somewhere on the block flooded the street and it froze.

The owners of the vehicles say they've called the water department and the city's 3-1-1 line for help without any success.

"It's all ice from a water main leak that's been leaking for almost a week now. We've called several times about it," the truck owner added .

A water department spokesman says they have no reports of a break on the block and while they can have roadways salted after a break, smashing ice and digging out vehicles is not something they do.

PWD says they've averaged about 20 water main breaks a day for the past week with well over 100 breaks being repaired. There's new breaks reported each day. A spokesman says cars are being frozen in by ice after breaks all over the city.

A water department crew was expected to inspect the area some time Monday night to try and determine where the water is coming from and shut it off. A PWD spokesman said "there's simply nothing we can do" about the iced vehicles.