Commuters, shoppers and bus passengers faced fresh travel misery in South Wimbledon this weekend after a burst water main sent water pouring across one of the area’s busiest roads.
The rupture on Kingston Road, close to South Wimbledon station, flooded part of the carriageway and forced Thames Water to shut the road to westbound traffic between the junction with South Wimbledon and Brisbane Avenue while emergency repairs were carried out.
It is the second major water incident to strike the area in less than a week, piling pressure on a water network that the local MP says is now “at breaking point”.
Wimbledon MP Paul Kohler said the two failures in quick succession laid bare the poor state of the region’s ageing pipes.
“The past few days have provided more evidence our water infrastructure is at breaking point,” he said. “On Monday, it was a burst water main in West Molesey that left 15,000 homes, including many in Wimbledon, Morden, New Malden and Raynes Park, with little or no water. Now it is a burst main in South Wimbledon that has caused massive disruption on the Kingston Road.”
The Kingston Road burst follows Monday’s rupture near the Island Barn Reservoir in East Molesey, which disrupted supplies to around 15,000 properties across Surrey and parts of south London. Some businesses and schools were forced to close as residents were left without running water for extended periods. Merton Council has said the South Wimbledon burst was unrelated to the earlier reservoir incident.
Although Thames Water said supplies had since stabilised, the back-to-back incidents have reignited criticism of the company’s handling of its network.
Earlier in the week, Sutton and Cheam MP Luke Taylor accused the firm of failing to get to grips with persistent leaks. “Every day Thames Water loses 228 Olympic-sized swimming pools’ worth of water through leaks,” he said. “We are numb to the appalling failure of Thames Water to fix our creaking infrastructure. Enough is enough.”
Both Liberal Democrat MPs have called for Thames Water to be placed into special administration so the company can be run “in the interests of the public”.
A Thames Water spokesperson apologised for the disruption. “We are sorry for the disruption while we repair a leaking mains pipe,” the spokesperson said. “It is a busy location and the safety of our team and road-users is paramount while we carry out this repair as quickly as possible.”
The company blamed prolonged dry weather for putting extra pressure on buried mains, increasing the likelihood of leaks and bursts, and said it had replaced more than 100km of ageing pipes since April last year as part of a wider upgrade programme.
Traffic management around the Kingston Road repair site is expected to stay in place until 6 October, meaning drivers face several more days of disruption.
What it means for your journey
The closure affects the westbound carriageway of Kingston Road between South Wimbledon and Brisbane Avenue, the main route heading towards Morden. Drivers are being diverted around the works, and delays are likely at busy times, particularly around South Wimbledon station.
Anyone travelling through the area is advised to allow extra time, consider alternative routes and check live travel updates before setting out. Bus services using Kingston Road may also be delayed or diverted while the closure is in force.
What to do if your water is affected
While supplies in the immediate area were not reported as cut off, bursts of this kind can cause drops in pressure or discoloured water nearby. Thames Water advises customers to check its website for live updates on repairs in their postcode, and to report any new leaks they spot.
If tap water runs discoloured after nearby works, running the cold kitchen tap briefly will usually clear it. Anyone left with no water at all should contact Thames Water directly for advice and information on alternative supplies.
Second incident in days
South London has endured a bruising week for its water network. Days before the Kingston Road flood, a separate burst water main shut a major road by a Chislehurst school and forced a Superloop bus to divert. Earlier incidents left schools closed across south-west London after taps ran dry, while thousands of homes were left with low pressure as engineers battled outages.
