Woman, 85, has had no cooker for weeks after Thames Water floods

“Unacceptable”: floodwater fills streets in Tulse Hill after the major water pipe burst
Ben Morgan19 December 2016

An 85-year-old woman whose home has been flooded by a burst water pipe twice in two months has not been able to cook for herself since October.

Brenda Whitaker, whose house in Palace Road, Tulse Hill, was deluged after the 21-inch pipe burst on Friday, said it was the seventh flood in 14 years. The same pipe burst on October 15, cutting off water to 1,500 households. Thames Water said it is investigating.

Ms Whitaker said: “I have not had a cooker since the flood in October so I have got by with a microwave and kind neighbours. I cannot believe it has happened again. I couldn’t open my front door at 3am because the water was flowing so quickly. It’s a sense of horror and incredulity. Everything is damaged again — the wood-block flooring, all the carpets and the furniture.”

Her MP, Chuka Umunna, today called Thames Water a “total shambles”. In the past few weeks, homes in Blackheath, Stoke Newington and Islington have been flooded by ruptured pipes.

Ms Whitaker’s neighbour Sydney Carter, 92, who is blind and deaf, has slept with Wellington boots by his bed since a flood in 2009. His daughter Jill, 52, was helping him in the aftermath of the latest deluge. She said: “We were just at a public meeting where these idiots were talking this rubbish about monitoring the drains. I would like to know how the chief executive of Thames Water can sleep at night.”

The clean-up operation after the flood in Tulse Hill

Cycling firm boss James Nicholls, 31, and his girlfriend were woken at 4am on Friday by police banging on the windows of their flat in neighbouring Probyn Road.

He said: “It was almost like a Titanic moment — we thought the water was going to burst through the door. We moved everything upstairs as fast as we could. The water came up the back door by about six inches. The garden flooded and it started seeping through the carpet and floors.”

About 25 homes were evacuated in the flood. Streatham MP Mr Umunna demanded answers from Thames Water, which agreed a five-year improvement plan in 2009. He said: “The promises made by Thames Water to my community at a public meeting in 2009 were never fully delivered. This is the second water main burst and flood in the last two months, and the fifth burst of the same pipe in 14 years. My constituents deserve better and this has been a total shambles.”

Thames Water director Bob Collington said: “This is unprecedented and unacceptable. A full investigation is already under way. We’re determined to do all we can to reduce the risk of this water main bursting again so, while we’ve got it shut off from the rest of our pipe network, we’ll reline or replace it.”

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