Dozens of business owners and employees witnessed an "explosion" as a burst water pipe sent water surging down Kentish Town Road for nearly two hours on Friday, August 28. The flooding began just after 10:15am, with around one foot of water streaming down the busy Camden high street, sending locals into a state of "panic," according to eyewitnesses.
Thames Water engineers remained on site on Saturday (August 29) after discovering a second burst pipe while fixing the first. Although the flood water has been cleared, part of Kentish Town Road remains closed with diversions in place so the second pipe can be repaired. Residents and businesses have been warned that it will "most likely take a couple of weeks" for the road to fully reopen.
Business owners describe panic and disruption
Bhaviti Degamia, 47, owner of Wow Brows, said the street went into a state of "panic" after hearing an explosion-like noise and seeing the flood rush past their shops. "We were just going about our day and then at about 10:20am our landlord came in and said there was a flood," she said. "I heard something that sounded like an explosion. When I walked out, I saw that the pavement had erupted and broken, with water gushing everywhere and debris from beneath covering the road."
"Some of the shops nearer to the explosion had water come into their shops. We all just stood there in complete bedazzlement; nobody could walk along the street. The street went into panic," Degamia added. "We later learned from Thames Water that a 16 metre deep pipe had burst and the pavement had just exploded. Yesterday, for the entire morning from 10:20am until 2pm, we couldn't get any trade, we couldn't have any clients in, and we lost about £300."
Degamia noted that her shop was spared flooding due to its position on a gradient, but other business owners on the road suffered damage from the large volumes of water. The flood started outside Pang's London, a Chinese takeaway, and spread down the street, causing serious disruption for drivers and business owners alike.
Newsagent faces thousands in lost sales
The manager of Payless Food & Wine London, a local newsagent near the burst water main, explained that although their shop wasn't flooded, they had lost thousands of pounds in passing trade as a result of the incident. Ahmed Khan, 31, said: "We got very very lucky that the water stopped right before our front door and went towards the road. It was scary.
"I wasn't here, but the staff rang me and sent me videos, and yeah, I just hoped that the water stopped before it got to us, it would have flooded our basement with stock in as well, so we were very lucky. We lost trade because they closed off the road and the pathway, so obviously no customers," Khan said. "We are definitely seeing a difference. We can't get deliveries either because of the Carnival weekend; we were expecting a lot of passing trade. We are looking at around £2,000-£3,000 losses this weekend in sales, that is for the entire weekend."
Thames Water provides update on repairs
In its latest update at 8:45am on Saturday, Thames Water said: "We're still working on the second burst, which was found in the excavation already dug in Kentish Town Road. With the water having been diverted around the area, your water should now be flowing at your taps, you may notice the pressure is lower at first, but this will return to normal once we've fixed the broken pipe. Sorry if you were affected."
The utility company added: "Once we've completed the second repair, we'll then focus on reinstating the road and opening it. Though we must advise, unfortunately, this will most likely take a couple of weeks to complete. We'll share the anticipated completion date as soon as it's known. To keep everyone safe, we've had to close some of Kentish Town Road. Please follow the diversions that are in place, and if you're travelling in the area, allow extra time to your journey. Sorry for the ongoing disruption."
The road closure and diversions remain in effect, with Thames Water advising travellers to allow extra time. Businesses on the street are counting losses from the disrupted trade, with the full reopening expected in a couple of weeks.
