Thames Water Crisis: Flooded Bermondsey Street Leaves South London Homes Without Supply
Chaos hit parts of South East London early Tuesday morning after a major water main burst left entire streets submerged and taps running dry across multiple postcodes.
A stretch of Ilderton Road in Bermondsey was completely underwater just after sunrise, shocking residents and passersby. Homes nearby were flooded, and the damage extended far beyond just a soaked pavement.
The impact has been widespread, with water supply outages reported across 11 postcodes, including SE1, SE5, SE8, SE11, SE14, SE15, SE16, SE17, SW4, SW8, and SW9.
Thames Water engineers were immediately dispatched, working urgently to locate and isolate the damaged section of the pipeline beneath the road surface.
A spokesperson for Thames Water said: “We understand how disruptive it is to be without water, and we’re working as quickly and safely as possible to put things right. We know how disruptive it is if you lose your water supply, so we’ll work hard to get things back to normal as soon as we can.
If you or someone you know needs a little extra support, including during an incident, our free Priority Services Register can help us to understand your situation so we can take it into account as best we can.”
The disruption comes amid growing concerns about the condition of London’s ageing water infrastructure. On top of the Bermondsey flooding, another emergency is unfolding just miles away in Clapham, where a sinkhole opened up following yet another burst pipe.
That situation, affecting residents since Sunday, remains unresolved.
Locals have expressed frustration at the lack of warning and the slow pace of recovery efforts. While bottled water stations are expected to be set up shortly, many homes remain without water or with severely reduced pressure.
“This shouldn’t be happening in London,” one resident commented while surveying the flooded street. “We rely on these services, and now we’re stuck.”
The company has not confirmed how long repairs will take, but teams are working continuously on both sites.
Residents affected by the outages are encouraged to register for Thames Water’s Priority Services Register, especially if they have medical or mobility needs.
This is a UK-based developing story, and updates are expected throughout the day as more information becomes available from Thames Water and local authorities.
