Hundreds without water on Bemerton Estate after pipe bursts

Garages were flooded and hundreds of residents lost their water supply after a pipe burst yesterday. (September 6)

More than 200 homes were affected and tenants had to wait 12 hours for the service to return to normal on the Bemerton Estate, Islington after a pipe cracked at 6am under Stranraer Way.

People who own garages in Stranraer Way and Tayport Close which were flooded may be entitled to compensation from Islington Council.

Homes for Islington, which manages council housing on Bemerton, had responsibility to repair the damage rather than Thames Water because the pipe is on its estate. The 50-year-old structure which is buried beneath reinforced concrete split in several places.

A HfI spokesman said: “We worked hard to fix the burst water pipe as fast as possible. Staff, working with the local tenant management organisation, made sure residents were aware of the situation throughout the disruption. We provided bottled water to all those affected while it was being fixed. Prompt action from our staff ensured the water supply was reconnected by the evening of the same day and any inconvenience was minimised.”

Cllr Paul Convery, Islington Council’s executive member for planning, regeneration and transport, said:“Full marks to our housing management’s technical people who got the pipe fixed and water turned back on.

“A number of people suffered some flood damage to posessions stored in garages and we need to look at whether they can be compensated for loss.”

Was your property damaged by the flooding? Contact paul.harper@archant.co.uk or 0207 4336206.