BOSTON -- The winter has already been brutal on aging water pipes, and the Arctic freeze predicted for the end of the week will not help the situation.

NewsCenter 5's Jack Harper reported Tuesday that crews in several towns were out making expensive repairs.

North Reading firefighters carried Marjorie Jeannes out of her house as water filled the basement. Kathy Enright and Shawn Wear used a truck to move the kids out.

"We turned on the water, and there was no pressure. Looked outside and there was swamp -- water coming out of the street,"

Water mains are popping like popcorn -- especially in the past few days.

"It's freezing and thawing," Reading DPW Director Ted McIntyre said.

It's downward pressure and shifting weight that moves and cracks the mains. The older the main, the more likely it will give out.

The biggest problem with the breaks is obvious -- even when they are fixed the water and the damage remain.

"This house will have to be winterized -- pipes drained -- because of the weather expected over the next few days," said Robert Gaudet, of Service Master.

Some towns are seeing more water main breaks then ever before, and the forecast is not helping.

"It is what it is. We're not looking forward to the lower temperatures," McIntyre said.