South Londoners woke up to “biblical” flooding, bins floating down the road and submerged cars after a huge waterpipe burst in Bermondsey this morning (Tuesday, July 15). Residents asked for sandbags to prevent flooding and filled up pots and pans with water as pressure dropped during the incident.
Mairead Temple, who lives on one of the roads severely affected by the flooding, woke up to absolute chaos after the pipe burst on Ilderton Road, in Bermondsey. She told MyLondon: “It was hard to fathom because it was so early. The outside was biblical, there were bins floating down the road. I was more anxious about the water coming up into the property and when it got to the third step we were like no we really need to start worrying.”
Video taken by residents shows knee deep water covering one of the nearby streets. Cars can be seen almost half submerged, while bins and bags of rubbish float down the road.
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Fellow resident Brenda Atkinson says she was woken up by her neighbour warning her about the flooding in the early morning. She told MyLondon: “I nearly had a heart attack. We were asking for sandbags and told if it came up any higher to call 999 but that they would just rescue us. As soon as it happened we just knew to fill up our kettles and our pots because the pressure did go down a bit.”
The area surrounding Ilderton Road remains covered by cordons which prevent cars from driving through the affected roads. While the water has now receded, puddles and debris still remain visible.
Thames Water workers and police remain at the scene while work is carried out to fix the pipe. Residents can be seen sweeping their front gardens and community wardens are stationed around the area.
Residents have been told that water pressure should continue to build up in the area after Thames Water isolated the section of pipe that needs repairing. A support station has been set up on Verney Road for anyone who needs assistance.
A spokesperson for Thames Water said: “We’re still on site dealing with the broken water pipe on Ilderton Road, SE16, that occurred this morning. Sorry if your tap water wasn’t flowing properly. We’ve isolated the section of pipe that needs repairing and water pressure continues to build in the area, meaning you should now have water flowing at your kitchen tap. You may notice the pressure is lower than normal, but it will recover over the remainder of the day.
“Work to clear the local area is underway and we’ll allow access to as much of the area as possible when it is safe to do so. We’re supporting residents who have been affected, if you’re nearby and need assistance, we can be found on Verney Road, SE16. Please feel free to come and speak to us.
“To keep everyone safe, road traffic management is set up while work is ongoing, and diversions are in place, please allow extra time if you’re travelling in the area. We’re sorry for any disruption this may cause to your journey. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding while we work to get things back to normal. For advice following a supply interruption, please click here.
“We know how disruptive it is if you lose your water supply, so we’re working hard to get things back to normal as soon as we can. If you or someone you know needs a little extra support, including during an incident, our free Priority Services Register can help us to understand your situation so we can take it into account as best we can. We’ll provide a further update by 6:00pm. Thank you again for your patience and understanding.”
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