Local Schools and Library Close As Water Supplies Cut Off in Chiswick

Cafes, businesses and homes affected by a burst main on Goldhawk Road

Picture: Thames Water

Cafes, homes, schools and businesses across Chiswick were affected by a burst water main in Goldhawk Road, the second major flooding incident in the area in less than a week.

The latest incident on Wednesday 31 January left thousands of homes, including many in W4 with no water. Local schools including Belmont Primary had to close for the day and Chiswick Library also shut after its water supply was cut off.

Some areas of Chiswick had no water for a day or two while others had reduced water pressure. The south side of W4 appeared to be the worst affected, with some homes reporting no water coming from the tap for several hours. Chiswick High Road, Devonshire Road, and areas of Grove Park reported reduced water pressure. The Bedford Park area appeared unaffected. Supplies returned around 5pm for some but the pressure remained low. Thames Water apologised and said, "We’ve sent tankers to pump more water into the network to help water supply in the area."

Chateau Dessert on Chiswick High Road had to close for business and send staff home. One of the owners said there was not enough water pressure to run the coffee machine. Other restaurants in the area said they were able to stay open.

Top Hat in Devonshire Road, which has a second branch in King Street, said water levels were coming and going throughout the day and this affected their ability to launder clothing.

Thames Water say that water supplies were restored on Thursday evening, 1 February to all areas in West London affected by the burst water main.

The company said, "If you are still experiencing problems, please contact us as you could have an airlock, which we can resolve. As a precaution we’ll continue to keep bottled water in the area for as long as it might be needed at Woodmans Mews, in White City, close to Burlington Danes Academy.

"The burst was on one of our large 30-inch in diameter water pipes under Goldhawk Road, and repairs are now set to begin. This work will run into next week as, once the pipe is fixed, there will be a significant amount of work needed to restore the road and surrounding area to normal. We promise to get the road open as soon as we can."

Overall, the burst water main affected thousands of homes across west London, who were left without any water or low water pressure. The incident led to flooding in Goldhawk Road, which was then partially closed, and traffic diversions were put in place. The water supply problems affected Chiswick, Acton and Hammersmith as well as Shepherd's Bush.

The first indication that there may have been problems ahead came when the North Circular was shut northbound for three days on Friday 26 January for three days between Chiswick Roundabout and Gunnersbury Lane. Technicians had detected a leak on a 30inch pipe in the early hours of the morning and needed to dig up the road to affect a repair. When we asked Thames Water whether this repair caused the later water main bursts they said the incidents were unconnected but a locally based engineer says that it is highly likely that the increase in pressure brought about by the previous repair was responsible for the bursts. The same day that the leak was identified by the North Circular there was a similar incident when a water main burst near Ravenscourt Park on King Street in Hammersmith causing extensive flooding - at one stage people were being rescued in dinghies.

Thames Water add, "Our support for people affected by flooding will continue in the coming days as we help assess the damage and explain the insurance process. We have loss adjustors on site talking to customers, and will continue to offer them support for however long it’s needed.

"We know that being flooded is a horrible experience and we’re really sorry for the impact it’s had. We understand people will want to be back in their homes and businesses as soon as possible, and we’ll do everything we can to help that."

The clear up work meanwhile is continuing to cause closures and delays. Goldhawk Road is shut between Shepherd's Bush Green and St Stephen's Avenue, and TfL says that local buses are losing time due to the roadworks, tweeting @TfLBusAlerts, "Buses are losing time due to on-going works in Goldhawk Road to make emergency repairs to a burst water main. Works are expected to go on until Tuesday, 13 February so during the morning and evening peak buses can suffer delays."

Flooding on Hammersmith Grove. Picture:TfL

You can follow Thames Water on Twitter.

February 4, 2018