Burst pipe chaos in west London leaves thousands of homes with no water - as residents rescued by dinghy

Residents were evacuated from their homes overnight via an inflatable rescue boat after flood waters ripped through several streets in Holland Park. 

Images from the scene show cars submerged in deep waters as the streets were turned into a “river”.

Multiple streets have been closed, including part of Holland Park Avenue and the A3220 West Cross Route between the Northern Roundabout and the Holland Park Roundabout.

The London Fire Brigade said 25 people were displaced due to flood waters entering their properties and have been re-located to a nearby rest centre.

Station Commander Kris Seymour, who was at the scene, said: “A burst 30-inch water main caused flooding up to 1-metre deep, affecting more than 50 homes and a hotel over a one-mile area.

“Firefighters used specialist equipment, including an inflatable rescue boat to evacuate affected residents and flood barriers to divert flood water, which has now subsided. We encourage people to avoid the area as road closures will likely be in place throughout the morning.”

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Alex Cooper, 48, a Lorne Gardens resident, said water “flowed down the street like a river”.

“I woke up to my car alarm going off. Water was flowing down the street like a river. It got to around two to three feet deep. We saw it coming and moved the furniture upstairs.

“Our entire floor is flooded and our oven is going to be f****ed,” she told The Standard.

Affected postcodes include W1H, W4, W6, W8, W11, W12, W13 and W14, according to an update on Thames Water’s website at 6.55am. 

Thames Water in a statement said: “Our team are on site and have stopped the water flooding in the area. We are working with the fire services and police to keep everyone safe. Traffic controls are also in place to protect the public.

“Your tap water should now be returning, it may be at a lower pressure initially, but this will improve as it increases in the pipes.”