Caedmon Road is left submerged with water

DURING one of the hottest summers on record, as the country slides into drought and ministers consider enforcing a countrywide hosepipe ban, residents living near the Emirates Stadium were this week dealing with a major flood from wasted water.

Ruined wedding dresses, family photographs and furniture were some of the cherished objects destroyed on Monday morning after residents woke up to find their streets submerged by water from a burst water main.

The leak comes just two weeks after flooding caused by broken pipes in Offord Road were on the front page of the Tribune and questions were raised about who should control and maintain London’s water supply.

Streets around Hornsey Road were flooded this week with up to three feet of water.

Thames Water, the company responsible for the area’s pipes, has faced widespread criticism after drawing £488million in operating profits last year.

“Now you know what decades of underinvestment looks like,” wrote the former Undertones frontman Feargal Sharkey on Twitter, in response to a video of water surging past the Tollington Arms pub.

Residents spent the morning wading from their homes, attempting to stem the flow of water with sandbags, makeshift barriers and buckets.

Firefighters join the response in Hornsey Road

Gabriel Venegas of Lowman Road was among those who kept the water at bay with a bucket and a makeshift barrier, but other residents were not so lucky.

The water later subsided by Monday afternoon but that was not the end of the pain.

“I want my stuff and my life back,” said Beatri Lopez, who shares a flat with her husband and child in Hornsey Road.

Their home was quickly overwhelmed on Monday morning leaving everything “completely wet inside.”

“The situation was very stressful and in my case I think the most emotional part was when I saw my wedding dress ruined,” she said.

“It was horrible. When we came back and saw all this we felt like part of our life was gone.”

The family had been preparing to move house, Ms Lopez said, meaning family photographs were packed up in a box on the floor when the flood hit.

“I have the pictures of my life, and I don’t want to open that box,” she said. “I don’t want to open it to see something really sentimental gone.”

Gabriel Venegas bailed out the water

The family said it was impressed by Thames Water’s initial response when they were offered a hotel room on Monday night – but Ms Lopez said “now we feel like it has been slow”, adding the company has said she will have to wait until early next week before they can clean her home.

“They told us they’re coming on Monday, but I cannot keep all the stuff here till Monday because the smell is getting worse and worse,” she said.

Meanwhile, Christian Hill, who lives with housemates in Caedmon Road, said: “All of us were so knackered. It makes you realise you’re a lot more vulnerable to the elements than you think.

“As a renter we’ve had to deal with the brunt of experiencing it and the difficulty of cleaning, managing the water and moving our property – the emotional experience.

“There won’t really be any meaningful compensation for us because it will all go to the landlord.”

Christian Hill and Beatri Lopez

Emmie McGhee, who lives in Shelburne Road, said: “I think it must be something to do with the heat, the temperature going up and down, and maybe lack of maintenance from Thames Water.

“When stuff like this happens but there’s a drought, you’ve got to question what the water companies are doing to combat this. Obviously not a lot because otherwise it wouldn’t be happening, and it’s only going to get worse.”

Council leader Kaya Comer-Schwartz was among figures who suggested the public needed more control over utilities after the soaking of Offord Road last month.

Astonishingly and despite the huge impact on the community in Islington, Thames Water did not respond to the Tribune despite several requests for comment.

Elsewhere – under the spotlight of national coverage and the backdrop of the threat of the nationwide hosepipe ban – the company has apologised for the flooding in Islington.

Our front page: Just two weeks ago Thames Water was facing questions over flooding in Offord Road

“We realise that it has had a significant impact on residents in the area, and we are working hard with all stakeholders, especially local residents to support them in their time of need,” a statement said.

“Thames Water have a statutory responsibility for any water damage from the burst to any property, including buildings and contents for both domestic and commercial properties.”

It added: “Thames Water Customer Representatives have been on site every day since the burst, along with the loss adjusters appointed by insurers. We have a large number of our contractor partners on site dealing with emergency issues, including electrical, water heating, sanitation, and cleaning up/starting the drying process.”

Last month, the company insisted that it was investing in infrastructure after being challenged following over repeated leaks in Offord Road.