Chaos as burst water main floods six houses and nearby fire station in south east London

6 January 2023, 12:00 | Updated: 6 January 2023, 12:02

By Kieran Kelly

@kellyjourno

South East London was thrown into chaos this morning after a water main burst, flooding six houses and forcing schools to shut.

Homes across Greenwich have been left without water as Thames Water works to fix the pipe on Eltham Road. The burst water main has also flooded Lee Green fire station on Eltham Road.

In total, six houses flooded - including three basements - with around 20cm of water.

Footage posted by the London Fire Brigade on Twitter shows firefighters rescuing residents in boats.

Blackheath High School has been forced to shut, with a statement from the school reading: "There is a major Thames Water flood affecting the surrounding area and our school. Both Junior School and Senior School have unfortunately had to close."

The Conservatoire, a nearby arts centre, has also closed temporarily due to the flooding.

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A spokesperson for Thames Water said: "We’re really sorry if you have low pressure or no water following a large burst pipe early this morning on the A20 Eltham Road, in SE12.

"We’re on site and working to shut off flow from the burst. Once we’ve done this, supplies should start to return to the affected area. "We’d also like to apologise to drivers affected by the closure of the A20."

The postcodes with no water or low pressure are: SE3, SE7, SE9, SE10, SE12, SE13 and SE15.

A statement from the London Fire Brigade reads: "Crews are working to divert flood water after a water main ruptured, flooding an area of around 600m x 200m.

"Three basement flats have been flooded to a depth of around 20cm and the fire station has also been affected by flood water.The brigade was called at 0438.

"Fire crews from Lewisham, Eltham, East Greenwich and surrounding fire stations are at the scene."