- Burst water main in the centre of Herne Hill in south London has caused chaos for residents
- Firefighters were forced to bring in a rescue boat and have requested 200 sandbags to manage the flood
The centre of a London suburb woke up under a metre of water this morning after a burst water main caused chaos.
Firefighters and paramedics were called to Herne Hill in south London at 5.30am this morning after water began rising above waist height.
Cars, bus stops and shops were half-submerged at the junction of Herne Hill and Half Moon Lane, where people in 36 homes were stuck.
Residents were forced to stay indoors while other trying to get to work waded through the flood, carrying people on their backs.
By lunchtime the flood had subsided, but it has left behind a trail of thick dirt which could take days to clean away.
Boat rescue: Firefighters in a boat on Herne Hill this morning after a water main burst
Submerged: The water has risen to an astonishing level in a short period, leaving cars stricken
Deluge: The Metropolitan Police's helicopter was over the flood zone this morning and warned people to avoid the area until it is cleared
Shock: A deluge of water has hit the London suburb while Thames Water tried to find where it came from and shut it off, meanwhile inside a nearby flat the water filled its hallway
Floating along: This photo taken from the ground shows the fire brigade moving their boat across the flood
Bold: These two men carry women through the water and along the street as the community copes with the flood
The service said the problem with large water main, which had to be switched off.
A spokesman said: 'Our crews are well equipped to deal with floods, and we have lots of specialist skills and equipment used at the scenes of incidents like this one.
'The most important thing for us was making sure that people are safe, so people who live in the affected street were being advised to stay in their homes until the water cleared.
'Then we will be helping to clear water out of basements, homes and local businesses.'
Clear-up: A picture tweeted by the London Fire brigade shows how after the flood subsided, it left behind a trail of dirt
Tough job: The clean up begins on Half Moon Lane in Herne Hill at lunchtime today with a highways worker using a high-power water jet to remove detritus
Ms Graham, 25, a receptionist at environment campaign group Friends of the Earth, added later: 'The water is pretty much gone now and they are clearing up mud everywhere - all the silt and stuff has come out of the drains.
'They are hosing down the streets. We are on the third-floor flat - our hallway was a little bit soggy and smelly but all of our stuff is OK.
'Some of the businesses were at least knee-deep in water. I went into the dry cleaners this morning and he was distraught.'
No getting past: Commuters in the south London suburb of Herne Hill woke up to find the area completely submerged in water after a water main burst this morning
Strange: The usually busy junction was completely quiet during rush hour this morning at a time where it usually would be full of people going to work
Stuck: People stand on their rooftops in the south London suburb as they are hemmed in by the water, which was up to a metre high in some areas
Standing guard: Police as well as other members of the emergency services in London were called to Herne Hill to ensure its residents are safe
Eerie: This was the scene at the junction of Herne Hill and Half Moon lane this morning, where residents took these pictures from their windows
Problems: A large area of Herne Hill has flooded after a 3ft wide mains pipe burst, sending thousands of gallons of water into the area
Working hard: Herne Hill's greengrocers is forced to remove water from its shop after water began pouring in this morning
'We were called by the London Fire Brigade and are on the scene trying to find the leak.
'A 3ft-wide water pipe burst in Herne Hill at the junction of Half Moon Lane at around 5am today.
'This has caused substantial flooding to the road and 36 properties in the area. We’re really sorry to affected customers and we are working hard to put things right as quickly as possible. Our main priority is to get people’s lives and businesses back to normal.
'Our loss adjusters are en route and will soon be talking to people to get the insurance process under way.
'Customers should all still have water running through their taps as we have managed to re-route our network.
'It is quite a complex system, but we think we have found it and are trying to shut it off and stop the flooding'.
A London Fire Brigade spokesman added: 'A burst water main has caused flooding to 150 metres of street. We have requested 200 sandbags.'
'Crews are still at the scene of the Herne Hill flood. We're advising people to stay indoors until the electricity supply outside is isolated.'
The brigade added later on Twitter that the water was receding 'rapidly' and a high volume pump was at the scene to pump out basements.
Spot the difference: The flooded junction in London suburb Herne Hill in happier and drier times
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