Council has shifted the residents of five homes into temporary accommodation after water inundated their homes on Monday morning.

But cool temperatures seem to have prolonged the clean-up.

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“It is unclear when the remaining properties will be sufficiently dried out enough for the drying equipment to be removed and people to return home,” council’s water director Bruce Logan said.

“Council’ s flood restoration contractor has advised there is no ‘general rule of thumb’ and this process can take significantly longer during the winter months because of low ambient temperatures, but it is critical that buildings are dried correctly and sufficiently to avoid future risk of things like mould.”

While the clean-up has entered its final stages, there is still repair work needed on the outside of the buildings.

The cost of the damage is still unknown.

One Armidale Road resident who has been shunted out of her home since Monday has praised the efforts of council in the aftermath, despite losing some sentimental items in the inundation.

She wished to remain anonymous to maintain privacy but wished to convey the “sense of relief” which has come with the assistance offered by council.

She was woken by council staff knocking on her door early on Monday morning to tell her a main had exploded.

In her post-sleep haze, it took a second realise she was standing in water.

“It came in through the garage and went half-way through lounge-room,” she said.

The resident said she was one of the lucky ones, with some of her neighbours having a lot of belongings “written-off”, but she did have mementos from her wedding stored in the garage, including photo albums, damaged in the deluge.

She said morale among her neighbours who’d been affected in the unit complex was still high.

“They’re all pretty cheery and have been keeping positive about it,” she said.

“Things could been worse, at least it wasn't sewerage.”

It was revealed after the main broke council had received a tip-off about a potential leak in the East Tamworth area five days before the incident.

Residents in East and Nemingha lost water service for most of Monday.