People were stunned at the “extraordinary” sight of a burst water pipe turning roads into rivers on Friday morning (June 17) on Union Street, Borough.
The Liberal Democrat councillor for Borough and Bankside, David Watson, was heading to the council offices for a stakeholder meeting when he stumbled across it at around 10.30am.
The recently elected councillor said: “It was extraordinary. By the time I was leaving the area a small river had formed up Redcross Way.
“Fortunately, there was a council officer on the scene who was there by chance and she was on the phone to Thames Water.”
Watson said he felt Thames Water could have responded quicker given “that’s the sort of emergency that needs to be dealt with immediately”.
Water pipe burst on the corner of Union St and Red Cross Way – take care if you’re in the area. Council aware and dealing as an emergency. Thames Water informed #Borough & #Bankside @lb_southwark @VMMChamberlain @IrinavonWiese @thameswater pic.twitter.com/bN79PtKOU7
— David Watson (@DavidWatsonLD) June 17, 2022
The burst had been repaired by 12.30pm and Thames Water has said there were no reports of any flood damage to basements.
Some Twitter users reported their water supply had stopped and Thames Water confirmed that some people “may have had a very short interruption to their water supply”.
A spokesperson for Thames Water said: “We were onsite by midday and the leak was repaired by 1230. Some customers may have had a very short interruption to their water supply, and we are sorry for any inconvenience caused.”