Burst water pipe leaves roads flooded and nearly 1,000 Londoners without water
Nearly a thousand homes are without water after a water main burst and flooded several south east London postcodes.
Thames Water said 900 homes across the Greenwich and Lewisham borough area were also left with no water or very low water pressure as a result of the burst main.
The large pipe burst on Eltham Road this morning leaving residents with no water supply or low water pressure.
Emergency services were called to Lee Green in south east London at 4.38am to rescue residents after the burst pipe wreaked havoc.
Thames Water said the incident has affected homes across SE3, SE7, SE9, SE10, SE12, SE13 and SE15 postcodes.
At 10:37am, the water firm said the flow from the damaged section of Eltham road had been shut off and they are working to get things back to normal as soon as possible. People have been advised to avoid the area.
Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters are evacuating residents from flooded properties by boat as six homes have been flooded with around 20cm of water.
People across south east London have been left uncertain of when their water supply will return.
One person tweeted: “We’re without any water now and problematic with very young children.”
Another Lee Road resident said: Surrounding roads closed by police/fire services but no sign of Thames water to provide water bottles or update us on how long supply will be off. @thameswater please update us ASAP.”
Another said: “I have no water in SE3 and a baby and a child with disabilities at home. Can you please tell us if you will be delivering water to customers on the priority register?”.
Flooding has also caused severe traffic disruption and schools and shops in the area have been forced to close.
The road from the A2212 Burnt Ash Road (Lee Green) to Weigall Road is closed, according to traffic monitoring website Inrix.
A statement by Lewisham Council said Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) will not be issued to anybody travelling through camera-enforced restrictions in the Lee Green area as a result of traffic disruption.
A Thames Water spokesperson said: “We’re sorry to customers who experienced low pressure or no water this morning, following a large burst pipe on the A20 Eltham Road, in SE12.
“Most supplies have returned to the area and some customers may experience low pressure while this continues to get back to normal.
“We’ll now start work to repair the pipe and reopen the road. We also have loss adjustors on site to speak to customers affected by flooding during the burst.
“We apologise to drivers affected by the closure of the A20 and for the disruption this has caused.”