Lancaster Road in Finsbury Park blocked off and, below, the hole dug to repair the broken pipe

ANOTHER week, another north London street flooded with water from a burst main.

This time, it was Lancaster Road in Finsbury Park that became a river when a mains pipe burst on September 17.

Resident Dennis Baker said a team arrived on Sunday to repair the pipe which had been leaking water for several days. “Look, they came and fixed it, so it’s almost forgiven,” he said. He told the Tribune the wasted water splashed his car but did no further damage to his home or belongings.

Thames Water sent out a team to assess the leak on Friday, and stopped the running water on Sunday.

Nick Buzzard, who also lives in Lancaster Road, said: “It’s very upsetting to see the amount of water pouring everywhere. Imagine how many gardens that could have watered.”

Referring to Thames Water’s chief finance officer Steve Buck, who was handed £1million upon joining the private water provider, Mr Buzzard added: “I think he deserves another million, doesn’t he?”

This is just the latest in a string of floods across Islington and Camden.

The Tribune reported last month that while imposing a hosepipe ban on local residents, Thames Water is still yet to finish paying out compensation to business owners in Caledonian Road after a mains pipe rupture devastated many shops in February.

The water company said that just 5 per cent of leaks are above the surface, with 95 per cent of water loss caused by underground leaks we cannot see, and so underground repairs are prioritised.

A Thames Water spokesperson said: “We are sorry for any disruption caused by the water main burst in Lancaster Road. We attended the day after it was reported, carrying out an assessment of the issue and how best to fix it.

“Our team then carried out a repair on Sunday morning, and we would like to say sorry to anyone who faced low pressure or no water.

“We have been fixing more than 1,000 leaks a week during what the Met Office has declared as the hottest summer on record. When the ground becomes very dry it can shrink, crack and move, placing additional stress on buried water mains and increasing the likelihood of leaks and bursts.

“At the same time, customer demand for water increases significantly during hot weather, placing additional pressure on the network.”