Burst water main turns Caledonian Road into river as Islington streets flood

A burst water main has flooded roads in north London, with flooding reported between Caledonian Road and Twyford Street and stretching to the junction of Thornhill Bridge Wharf and Caledonian Road. The rapid inundation has blocked the road, affected shops and vehicles, and forced an emergency response and local support measures.

Caledonian Road and surrounding streets flooded

The burst 30in (76cm) pipe caused water to flow between Caledonian Road and Twyford Street to the junction of Thornhill Bridge Wharf and Caledonian Road in Islington. The volume of water blocked the road and affected nearby shops and vehicles, creating large pools across the carriageway.

Emergency response and timeline

Fire crews were called to the scene at about 14: 45 GMT. Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters, plus specialist teams, were mobilised. Two specialist fire and rescue units equipped with inflatable boats, pumping equipment and flood kits were among the resources deployed to respond to the flooding.

Water company actions and customer impact

Engineers were on site shortly after 13: 45 and successfully isolated the damaged section of pipe, which stabilised the network and restored water supply to the wider area. Work was continuing to gradually return supply to remaining customers, after which the damaged pipe would be accessed to plan the necessary repairs. Some customers in the N1, N7, WC1X and EC1R postcodes may still experience low pressure or intermittent supply while work is under way.

Local authority response and resident support

Drivers are being urged to avoid the area. A respite centre for affected residents has been set up at Islington Tennis Centre. Una O'Halloran, leader of Islington Council, said her heart goes out to those who live and work in the area, and said the council was doing all it could to resolve disruption while calling on the water company to manage the situation and help get residents and businesses back into their properties as quickly as possible. Council staff were supporting emergency services on the ground.

Assistance for affected customers and businesses

Customer representatives and loss adjusters were being sent to the site to assist customers who have been affected by flooding. An apology was issued to those impacted, and teams were preparing to plan repairs to the damaged pipe once immediate stabilisation work was complete.

Local reporting and other incidents

Local coverage invited readers to share photographs and accounts from the scene. Separately, a brief local update noted one dead and six stabbed in just three days across south London; details on that matter are unclear in the provided context.

All operational timings and locations above are taken from the latest available accounts of the event. Details may evolve as repair work continues and emergency services complete their response.