Streets were running with water on Sunday night

DOZENS of homes have been devastated with tenants facing months in temporary accommodation after a “biblical” flood forced an evacuation of a housing estate on Sunday night.

Streets in Canonbury were submerged in 2ft of water after a pipe burst just before 10pm, with the flooding stretching to homes several roads away from the original source – with some flats in Morton Road being the most severely affected.

Neighbours reported hearing a loud bang before seeing the fast-flowing water “gushing” out from the tarmac and filling up roads.

Lime bikes were seen floating down the street as cars became submerged.

Firefighters diverted water away from homes

At least 30 residents had to be rushed to safety. Several people living in Cedar Court were placed in temporary accommodation in Angel, and have been told that it will be months before they can return to their properties.
Furniture, books, art, and family photos were amongst items destroyed by the floodwater.

Bill Davis, whose wife died just months ago, said that his wedding photo album was one of his most precious items lost to the flood.

“The album was at the bottom of the cupboard, with my wedding certificate, birth certificates for my sons, and their wedding photographs as well. It’s not nice to think of everything just swimming around,” said Mr Davis.

“It’s only a couple of months since the missus died. I’ve had what you would call a s**t year.”

Some of the residents who were moved to temporary accommodation due to their homes being flooded, including Bill Davis (right)

“It’s hard to explain how you feel,” he added. “It’s just shock.”

Mr Davis had been married for almost 60 years to Chrissy after meeting her in a dance hall in Shoreditch in the 1960s.

His neighbour, Sasha Donaldson, who has been living in Cedar Court for 30 years, described how she returned to her home on Monday morning to find it still submerged in the flood water.

“It feels like a film,” said Ms Donaldson. “I went back this morning, and I was still wading through water. The floors are completely gone. “I just hope we can get back in for Christmas,” added Ms Donaldson’s granddaughter Madison, 12.

A damaged car is lifted onto the back of the truck

When the Tribune arrived on the scene at Monday morning, there were dozens of workers trying to clear up the damage to the streets and drain water from the properties.

Holly Coxon, who lives in Essex Road, was standing outside her flat in yellow wellies as a machine siphoned water out of her home.

She said: “I was closing my curtains, looked out and thought ‘Oh my god, that’s so much water out there, that’s not rain, what is that?’

“I pulled out a chair and watched it come in. I thought ‘I can’t be in my flat, it’s filling up with water, but I can’t go anywhere else because I need to be here because my flat is filling up with water.’ The fire brigade were putting sandbags on the flats in the block next door because the entrance is lower than the ground.

Water gushing down a street after a pipe burst just before 10pm on Sunday

“After the fire brigade did that, there was nothing they could do, we were just waiting for Thames Water to come and turn off the pipe.”

According to residents, it took Thames Water four hours to stop the flow.

Adam Deary, who lives in Canonbury Street, said: “We looked out and it was like a biblical river had exploded in the street, it was absolutely crazy. It was knee height and the current was extremely strong.”

Mr Deary said he and neighbours used towels to try and stem the flow of the water coming into his flat.

“The fire department ran out of sandbags, so they didn’t have enough sandbags to put in front of my door to stop the water coming through,” he said. “I was told that I was next priority but it took another hour and a half for the sandbags to arrive. We were just fighting the water.”

The aftermath of the flooding on the streets of Canonbury on Monday

The Canonbury Street resident added: “It raises questions about Thames Water’s ability to manage their own infrastructure clearly. It’s a danger to life. If anyone is walking past that when it exploded it would have killed someone. It is really fortunate that no one was next to it when it happened.

“Some people’s homes will be unrecoverable, and you have to ask a question about a company who is making crazy losses.”

The London Fire Brigade issued a statement that read: “Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters dealt with flooding in the area around Canonbury Street in Islington. A 36-inch burst water main caused flooding up to a depth of around 44cm of water.

“Firefighters used flood barriers and sandbags to divert flood water away from homes.”

A Thames Water spokesperson said: “We are sorry to those who have been impacted by a burst water main which occurred at 10pm on Sunday in Canonbury Street, Islington. We managed to stop the flow of water and ensure that the site is safe as quickly as we could. We were also able to move parked cars which were over another critical water main.

“We have had specialist teams on site this week for those impacted by the incident, at Cedar Place in Essex Road, and are supporting customers who have been affected.

“We are also sorry for the impact this may have on traffic in the area whilst we complete the repair.”

‘Nationalise water to halt more disasters’

NATIONALISING the water industry is the only way to stop the routine of flooding disasters in Islington caused by profit-making Thames Water, council chiefs have said, writes Isabel Loubser.

Deputy leader Santiago Bell-Bradford said that Sunday’s deluge was “yet more proof” that the water company was unable to clean up its act and invest in infrastructure whilst prioritising paying huge bonuses to bosses.
Cllr Bell-Bradford told the Tribune: “It is an abject failure and everyone in the country knows it. They should be dissolved. The organisation is not fit for purpose and this is yet more proof of it.”

He added: “They have proven time and time again that they want to extract profit as quickly as possible, especially now the ship is sinking. Nationalisation is the only way forward if we want to clean up waterways, fix infrastructure and provide a good service to residents.”

Thames Water is said to be facing financial collapse and ministers have appointed insolvency advisers to plan for this outcome, it was revealed this week.

It is not the first time that a burst pipe has led to significant flooding in Islington.

In 2016, dozens of people were evacuated from homes near Upper Street after a mains pipe burst. Again, in August 2022, a ruptured 26-inch main under Hornsey Road left the surrounding area submerged by up to 3ft of dirty water. More than 50 homes were damaged and four people had to be helped to safety.

The leader of the council at that time warned Thames Water that they would have to “start investing much more into providing resilient infrastructure, to avoid the floods occurring again”.

Yet, three years later – almost to the day – the chaos of homes submerged in water and firefighters trying to stem the flow was once again repeated.

Cllr Bell-Bradford said: “I think fundamentally not much has changed in Thames Water because the same people run it. They have chronically underinvested in infrastructure and they are in £16billion of debt whilst giving out millions in dividends.”

Thames Water was ordered to pay a £18.2million fine by Ofwat for breaking dividend rules by paying out nearly £170million to shareholders in October 2023 and March 2024.

The private water company has also faced criticism for using £2.5million of a £3billion emergency loan to pay managers’ bonuses.

At a special scrutiny meeting in January, Islington South MP Emily Thornberry criticised Thames Water bosses for raking in huge bonuses “after such poor performance”.

In response to Sunday’s flood, Dame Emily said she was “shocked and deeply concerned”, adding: “We all know that Thames Water’s track record in Islington is not good, so let me assure everyone affected that I will be keeping a close eye on the repairs progress.”

Four-hour wait at side of road for flood victims

ISLINGTON Council’s emergency protocol has faced criticism this week after residents say they were left waiting on the side of the road for four hours after being evacuated from their flooded homes, writes Isabel Loubser.

A group of neighbours in Cedar Court, Essex Road, said they were later taken to a “rest centre” in Upper Street where they were offered a single cup of tea.

It was 7am before they were moved to the hotel where they are currently residing.

The scene was described as “chaotic” by evacuees, but the deputy leader of Islington Council said it was “a difficult situation – ultimately well handled by officers”.

Sasha Donaldson, who lives in Cedar Court, said: “We were on the street from 10.30 until 2 in the morning, whilst they were trying to locate rest areas. When we arrived at 222 Upper Street [the council’s rest centre] there was no water, no blankets, no snacks.

“As the night went on, it became a bit more chaotic and unprofessional. 100 per cent they need to learn lessons for the future. We’ve already had two floods in Islington so they should know how to manage situations like these.”

Cllr Santiago Bell-Bradford said: “The scale of these emergencies change as the night goes on, and as there’s more water piling up affecting more flats. You want people back in their homes as quickly as possible. The first part is getting them out of the water, but the worst thing you can do is rush and put people in unsuitable accommodation.”

Cllr Angelo Weekes, the Town Hall’s community safety chief, added that their emergency team had reacted promptly and decisively. He said: “We were informed of the incident at 10.11pm, and within 20 minutes, two Local Authority Liaison Officers were on site. These officers are trained to manage incidents like this and participate in mock exercises with the emergency services in preparation.”