Engineers start emergency fix of burst water main
Engineers are carrying out emergency repairs on a large burst water main in north London, which left a busy road under fast‑moving floodwater for several hours.
Some properties on Caledonian Road, Islington, were flooded as water rushed along the street on Tuesday afternoon. Many lost their water supply and the electricity supply was cut off for safety reasons.
Thames Water has apologised and said a "large split" in a pipe had been discovered in the water main, along with a "significant underground void".
Part of the road remains closed as water is being pumped away from the area so that work can begin the fix the main, a spokesperson said.
In an update on Wednesday evening, a spokesperson added: "Our teams are on site 24/7 and are progressing the works as quickly and safely as possible.
"Noise will be reduced between 22:00 and 08:00 wherever we can, although some essential overnight activity may continue."
The flooding affected a 350m (1,100ft) stretch of Caledonian Road from the junction with Twyford Street to the junction of Thornhill Bridge Wharf.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) was called to the scene and used inflatable boats to rescue 15 people and three dogs.
Firefighters installed flood barriers and distributed sandbags to block water from neighbouring properties.
LFB told the BBC some basements along the road were flooded with 6ft (1.8m) of water.
Josef Fiala, an employee at Howdens kitchen showroom on Caledonian Road, said the moment water began rushing into the store was "terrifying".
"It happened so fast. Within a minute, the water rose to pretty much above my knees. It was scary, I'm not going to lie.
"People were panicking and they didn't know what was going on."
Fiala told BBC London he had not been able to access the shop on Wednesday as the electricity supply had been disconnected.
Thames Water said the power supply was cut off for safety reasons following the flooding.
According to UK Power Networks, 173 properties remain without power.
In an earlier statement, the spokesperson for Thames Water said: "All customers should have their water supplied restored although they may experience some intermittent loss of pressure whilst we carry out the repair, which will be complex.
"Our teams worked overnight and made good progress with the excavation to reach the damaged pipe.
"We understand how disruptive this situation is and sincerely appreciate your patience."
Customer service representatives and loss adjustors were at the scene talking to those affected, Thames Water added.
A customer support van, which has been set up as a support hub outside All Saints Church on Caledonian Road, is due to reopen at 09:30 GMT on Thursday.
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