The freshly laid road surface was “ruptured” by the incident, say residents

A “river” of running water was left running down a West London road for four days. The freshly laid road surface was “ruptured” by the incident, say residents.

Video show a large body of water rushing down the Brent road as cars pass alongside the cordoned-off area. The water pipe, on the junction of Dartmouth Road and Walm Lane, first burst last Friday (January 9).

Andrew Hart, who captured the video, said: “The road is a busy road and bus route. It took until Tuesday mid morning before anyone turned up to fix it.

“It’s caused traffic congestion along that road as the burst was so bad they closed the road. It ruptured the road surface that had only in the last month been freshly laid.”

He added: “It’s just amazing that it takes four days for a response. There should be emergency crews on hand to deal with these situations. I hate to think how much water was lost from the system.”

Mr Hart told MyLondon that “a big hole” had been dug down on the section of affected road. Walm Lane remains closed in both directions between Grosvenor Gardens and Dartmouth Road.

Thames Water has said that there has been a higher number of burst water pipes across the region due to freezing weather last week. It said its teams have recorded “record numbers of repairs” in the past seven days.

A statement by Thames Water says: “Following last week’s freezing weather, our teams are working hard to fix a higher number of burst water pipes across our area.

“Our teams have completed record numbers of repairs in the past seven days but are still working to fix a large number of jobs caused by the freezing temperatures.

“Thank you for your patience, understanding, and cooperation as we continue to restore services as quickly and safely as possible.

“Colleagues in our contact centres are answering your calls as quickly as possible but, owing to high call volumes, it’s taking longer than normal to get to you. Its quick and easy to report issues via our website, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.”

Got a story? Please get in touch at katherine.gray@reachplc.com

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