Residents have been evacuated from their homes after a burst water main flooded a London street.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) said eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters were called to Belsize Road in Camden at 2.50am on Saturday morning after a 42-inch water main burst, causing flooding to a depth of half a metre across an area of around 800 metres.
The fire brigade said multiple homes have been flooded and firefighters had to lead around 20 residents to safety.
Cody Dolcy-Grant lives in Hilgrove Road, at the end of Belsize Road, and said she woke up to scenes “like the river Thames” outside her home.
“I wasn’t aware of the situation ’til 7am when I went to the toilet, realised the toilet wasn’t flushing and no water was coming out of the taps,” the 27-year-old, who is unemployed due to a health condition, told the PA news agency.
“My road was flooded… when I opened the front door it was like a horror scene, fire engines up my whole road, police, ambulance, and then I looked to my left and it was like the river Thames outside.”
Ms Dolcy-Grant lives on the second floor of her building so her home was not flooded, but at noon on Saturday she said she still had no running water, all shops were closed and transport had been halted on her street.
Footage shared on social media shows emergency services using small boats and helping residents wrapped in blankets to safety.
LFB deputy assistant commissioner Andy Williams said from the scene: “There are significant road closures in place and we’re asking people to avoid the area where possible.
“The water authority are working to isolate the burst water main and firefighters are expected to remain on scene for a number of hours.
“Crews are using flood barriers and a high volume pumping unit to divert flood water.
“A rest centre has been set up for affected residents at Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre.”
Thames Water said local houses in north-west London, in the postcodes of NW2, NW6, NW8 and NW10, could be experiencing no or low water pressure as a result of the burst main.
The company said in a statement: “We’re working with the local emergency services to make sure all residents are safe as a priority, whilst our engineers continue to shut off the pipe valves in the surrounding area.
“If your home has been flooded, we’re so sorry, we know this must be very distressing.
“Our support teams are on their way to help customers experiencing low pressure or no water.”
