Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine has drained Russia of cash, and Russians have complained that essential infrastructure, mainly hot water systems and lifts in high-rise buildings, are now only working sporadically.

But reliable Moscow-based Telegram channels reported that instead of a burst sewage system, the dirty water was likely to have been created by high-pressure water being forced through a gas pipeline.

The Watch Out, Moscow channel cited eyewitnesses as saying that they had heard a pop shortly before the fountain of dirty water shot up. In an update it said a gas pipe cleaning technique used by Gazprom, the Russian energy giant, had forced the plume of water into the air.

“Regional Gazprom told us that this is how air is purged for a new section of the gas pipeline. The situation is normal and is under the control of specialists,” it added.

In September, a sewage pipe in the south Chinese city of Nanning sent human waste 10 metres into the air, covering passing drivers and motorcyclists.