Water gushed from the collapsed ceiling of Chelmsford's Poundland this afternoon (July 9).
The spectacle was caught on camera by Chelmsford mum Mandy, who was in the shop around 12.30pm with her three-year-old son.
She said: "We had gone in to get some batteries when I heard all this water.
"Some tiles had come down and it was just pouring down from the ceiling - it was literally just a sheet of water."
Initially, the mother-of-two said there was no rush to the exits, despite the water running through the light fixtures.
"It wasn't really like that, everyone was just watching this coming down then after a while the guy told the cashiers to stop serving.
"We walked round the corner and guys in high-vis were swearing and there was a bit of running around.
"I asked one of the guys what had happened and they said they were trying to clear a flat bit of roof above the shop of water with a broom."
