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Southwark flooding: Tube station closed as torrents of water flood London street

Footage shows river flowing down road

Samuel Osborne
Tuesday 21 January 2020 10:06 GMT
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Southwark Station flood: Torrents of water inundate London Tube stop

Torrents of water have flooded the roads outside a busy London Tube station.

Southwark Underground station, which is on the Jubilee line, and the surrounding roads were closed after water spouted from a hole in the ground.

Footage showed a river of water coursing down the street outside the station around 5am.

Other video showed a cordon around the road and firefighters wading through the water.

Commuters were urged to use Waterloo station to access the Underground. Blackfriars Road was shut in both directions between Southwark Street and Webber Street.

A spokesperson for Thames Water said the company had received calls from 400 customers reporting they had no water or low pressure.

They said: “We’re sorry for the disruption caused by a burst water pipe outside Southwark station this morning.

“Our team were on the scene very quickly, and managed to stop the flow of water soon after arriving. The flooding has now drained away and water supplies to customers in the area are now returning to normal.”

The spokesperson said the water came from a burst 36in pipe.

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Three fire engines and around 15 firefighters are tackling flooding from a burst water main at the junction of Blackfriars Road and Union Street, Southwark.

“An area of around 1700 metres and around 20 properties have been affected.

“Crews are working to divert water away from the area. Thames Water are also at the scene.

“Road closures remain in place and drivers are advised to avoid the area if possible.”

Several people tweeted their surprise at the sheer volume of water outside the station.

One said: “Crazy scenes outside Southwark tube station this morning. Water pouring out of the ground!”

“Interesting new water feature installed around of Southwark station this morning,” another added

“Woke up to no water in the house as a water main had apparently burst in Southwark,” commented another. “Well, that swiftly solves my morning dilemma of whether to head to the gym or not.”

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