A major water pipe rupture left a 'river' flowing down a busy West London road for four consecutive days, causing significant damage and traffic chaos.
Four Days of Flooding and Disruption
The incident occurred at the junction of Dartmouth Road and Walm Lane in Brent. The pipe first burst on Friday, January 9, but according to local resident Andrew Hart, it was not until Tuesday morning that repair crews arrived on the scene.
Hart, who captured video of the flooding, described the impact. "The road is a busy road and bus route," he said. "It's caused traffic congestion along that road as the burst was so bad they closed the road."
Fresh Road Surface Destroyed
The force of the escaping water caused severe damage to the infrastructure. Hart emphasised that the burst "ruptured the road surface that had only in the last month been freshly laid."
Following the repairs, a large excavation site was visible on the affected section. At the time of reporting, Walm Lane remained closed in both directions between Grosvenor Gardens and Dartmouth Road.
Thames Water Cites Freezing Weather Pressure
In a statement, Thames Water acknowledged the delay and explained the context. The utility company said freezing weather last week led to a higher number of burst pipes across the region.
"Our teams have completed record numbers of repairs in the past seven days but are still working to fix a large number of jobs caused by the freezing temperatures," a spokesperson said.
The company thanked residents for their patience and advised that due to high call volumes, reporting issues via their website was the quickest method. Hart, however, questioned the response time: "It’s just amazing that it takes four days for a response. I hate to think how much water was lost from the system."
