The burst 91cm (36in) long water main caused the closure of several roads around Hornsey Road, north London, as video of the incident showed roads submerged in more than a meter of water. It also left homes damaged and thousands of households without water. Emergency services were called to the scene in the borough of Islington just after 7am, London Fire Service said. Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters were called to the scene on Hornsey Road. A fire service spokesman said: “Flood water is affecting Hornsey Road and Tollington Road. “There are a number of road closures while crews work to make the scene safe. People are asked to avoid the area.” A church in the area opened its doors to anyone affected by the flood. Liz Clutterbuck, the pastor at Emmanuel Church, promised “jugs of water (for now!) and lots of cookies.” Just before noon, he tweeted that the water level had receded, leaving many homes damaged. The waters finally recede and the fire engines begin to leave. Several houses have been left damaged on the ground floor of Harvist Estate, Annette Rd & Hornsey Rd. Huge change from 9.30am… pic.twitter.com/7rmgE78MkP — Liz Clutterbuck (@LizClutterbuck) August 8, 2022 Earlier he said: “Flooding extends as far as Arthur Road. Homes between Arthur Road and Tollington Way have water over the bottom of their front doors. “The Sobel [leisure centre] it is flooded by many feet – we could see it at least two feet high at the outside exits in the car park. The water still seemed to be flowing fast an hour ago. “They are still working out how to evacuate these homes with water up to their doors.” The flooding comes as ministers urged more water companies to ban standpipes after the driest eight-month spell since 1976. Meanwhile, forecasters are predicting another heatwave with no sign of rain in many parts of the UK. Former Undertones frontman Feargal Sharkey, who now campaigns for river and water issues, said the flooding was a result of a lack of investment by Thames Water. Reposting images from the flood, he wrote: “Now you know what decades of underinvestment looks like. Hornsey Road, London, N7 at 8:30 this morning. It wouldn’t be right @thameswater.” Lib Dem peer Baroness Ludford also criticized Thames Water for under-investment. Residents in six postal areas reported either a water shortage or low pressure. Some expressed frustration at the lack of updates from Thames Water on when supplies would be restored. Come on @thameswater this flood on Hornsey Road & Tollington Road happened at least 4 hours ago – tell us what’s going on — Frances M Lynch (@francesmlynch) August 8, 2022 The company apologized to customers without water and said it is working to resolve the issue as soon as possible. In a statement it said: “Thank you for informing us about low water pressure and water shortages on N1, N4, N5, N7, N10 and N16. “Our specialist engineers are on their way to investigate reports of a burst water main and we will do everything we can to get things up and running as quickly as possible. “We’re really sorry if this has upset your day.” Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST A member of staff at the Tollington Arms, in Hornsey Road, said: “It happened at about 7am and within minutes there was a tsunami of flooding. “The fire service collapsed very quickly and we hope together with Thames Water, they can get things back to normal as soon as possible. “It happened when the pub was closed but as we go through the morning it might affect us but fingers crossed it gets sorted. We have one eye on our cellar as that would be the first to hit. Let’s hope for a positive result.” Last week Thames Water warned it could soon ban rubber bands.
