Hackney Marsh flood: Wick Woodland's paths turn into 'rivers' due to burst Thames Water pipe

PUBLISHED: 12:56 07 October 2020 | UPDATED: 13:05 07 October 2020

Emma Bartholomew

Wick Woodland’s paths have been transformed into “rivers” because of a burst Thames Water pipe.

The water company told the Gazette it is “working hard to make the area safe”, as it blocks off flooded footpaths at the beauty spot on Hackney Marshes.

Tankers have been drafted in in to pump the flood water back into the water supply network.

Meanwhile many areas of east London, including Leyton, Newham, Barking and Wanstead, either had low pressure or no water supply at all for 15 hours, although most customers’ supply has now started to resume.

Many shops have reportedly run out of bottled water, and one woman on Twitter claimed her mother had driven from Bedfordshire to east London to deliver water to her sister.

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Some people have complained Thames Water took too long to investigate the matter, not starting work until midnight last night, despite members of the public reporting the flood seven hours beforehand. 
One of them, Anna Toni, complained on Twitter: “Seriously not good enough - no water in a pandemic in one of the worst affected areas? There are paths that now look like rivers and it was rising.”

But a spokesperson for Thames Water explained the difficulty of locating exactly where the pipe had burst.

“As soon as they started getting calls in they went out to find it,” they said.

“It’s in a wooded area, and it’s not as easy to spot as if it’s on a road. They had to find it in the dark, which took longer than it normally would, but then they cracked on straight away.

“Our engineers have been working hard to fix the burst through the night and prioritising getting customers back into supply so supplies are now returning.”

They apologised to everyone whose water supply has been affected: “We know how worrying and inconvenient it is, and we’re pleased supplies are now returning to the area.

“However, it will take some time to fully recover as pressure in the network rebuilds, meaning customers may experience an intermittent supply. Until things are back to normal we’re continuing to prioritise assistance for vulnerable customers and will ensure they have bottled water delivered to them.”