A burst water main in Bow, east London, has left hundreds of homes without water and power during a scorching heatwave, with flooding reaching depths of up to a metre. Five people had to be rescued from a pub by firefighters as floodwater engulfed the area on Old Ford Road.
Incident Details
The water main burst outside a pub shortly before 10.30pm on Wednesday night, causing extensive flooding. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) deployed six fire engines and around 40 firefighters to manage the situation. Crews used flood barriers and sandbags to divert water away from homes, and water levels subsided overnight.
Impact on Residents
Up to 650 households were affected by a loss of power, water, or gas overnight. Some local infrastructure was also impacted, according to the LFB. Thames Water provided an update on its website at 9.45am, stating: "Our teams on site have stopped the flooding and are working to put things right. Your water supply should now have returned, the pressure may be lower than normal, but this will improve as it builds in the pipe."
Thames Water added: "Our customer teams are in the area, please do speak to them if you need any support. Unfortunately, we're likely to be in the area for some time as we need to fix the broken pipe and make good any damage caused by the flooding. We'll be working around the clock to fix things, and apologise in advance for any disruption caused."
Emergency Response
The LFB worked alongside Thames Water and Tower Hamlets Council to set up a rest centre for affected residents. Road closures remain in place on Old Ford Road while repairs are carried out by Thames Water. Traffic disruption is expected on surrounding roads, including St Stephen's Road and Roman Road.
This is a developing story and is being updated.
