Burst water main in north London causes anger amid drought crisis

theguardian.com:

Thames Water is facing criticism and anger from customers after one of its water mains burst, causing street flooding at the height of a drought crisis.

The burst 91cm (36in) water main prompted many road closures around Hornsey Road, north London, as video of the incident showed streets submerged in more than a metre of water.

About 50 properties were damaged, four people were rescued, a sports centre was closed because of flooding and thousands of households were left without water.

The emergency services were called to the scene in the borough of Islington at just after 7am, the London fire brigade said.

Eight fire engines and about 60 firefighters were deployed to the scene on Hornsey Road.

A fire brigade spokesperson said: “Flood water is affecting Hornsey Road and Tollington Road.

“There are multiple road closures in place while crews work to make the scene safe. People are urged to avoid the area.”

A church in the area opened its doors to anyone affected by the flood. Liz Clutterbuck, the vicar of Emmanuel church, promised “jugs of water (for now!) and plenty of biscuits”.

Just before noon she tweeted that water levels had subsided, leaving many homes damaged.

Earlier she said: “The flood stretches all the way to