School children had to be rescued in dinghies by firefighters after a ruptured water main caused flooding in southeast London overnight.
Around 70 firefighters were called to six feet of flooding on Meadowcourt Road and Eltham Road in Blackheath after a pipe burst, with the road turning to a river.
Up to 900 properties were left with no water or low pressure due to the burst main being shut off, however Thames Water said supplies are continuing to return to customers.
Meanwhile, schools and nurseries in the area were forced to shut for the day.
School children had to be rescued in dinghies by firefighters after a ruptured water main caused flooding in southeast London overnight
Image of the floodwater taken from the London Fire Bridge’s Greenwich station
Six properties have been flooded and the fire station has also been affected by flood water, according to the London Fire Brigade.
There are currently no reports of any injuries.
Significant road closures are in place and buses are being diverted, with people advised to avoid the area.
Blackheath High School and Riverston School in Greenwich both confirmed to shut this morning due to the flood.
In a tweet, Blackheath High School said: ‘There is a major Thames Water flood affecting the surrounding area and our school. Both Junior School and Senior School have unfortunately had to close.’
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Footage captures firefighters helping local residents with a dinghy, as the flood now spans a 600x200m radius
Residents are being ferried across roads after a major burst water pipe flooded the streets outside a London fire station
A Thames Water spokesperson said: ‘We’re sorry to customers who experienced low pressure or no water this morning, following a large burst pipe on the A20 Eltham Road, in SE12.
‘Most supplies have returned to the area and some customers may experience low pressure while this continues to get back to normal.
‘We’ll now start work to repair the pipe and reopen the road. We also have loss adjustors on site to speak to customers affected by flooding during the burst.
‘We apologise to drivers affected by the closure of the A20 and for the disruption this has caused.’
The London Fire Bridge’s station in Greenwich was also affected by floodwater
The London Fire Bridge said there was around 6ft of flooding on the two roads in Blackheath, southeast London
The London Fire Brigade said: ‘Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters have been called to flooding on Meadowcourt Road in Blackheath and Eltham Road.
‘Crews are working to divert flood water after a water main ruptured, flooding an area of around 600m x 200m.’
They added: ‘The Brigade was called at 0438. Fire crews from Lewisham, Eltham, East Greenwich and surrounding fire stations are at the scene.’
