‘We’ve lost millions after a burst water main flooded our streets’

Business owners in north London have spoken of their ‘devastation’ after floodwaters destroyed their stock and caused severe damage to their shops.

Waves of murky brown water flowed along Caledonian Road in Islington after nearby water main burst yesterday afternoon.

Dramatic images show the water shorting down the road at high speed and reaching up to three feet in just minutes. 

Ali Ahmed, who owns Alibaba convenience store, told Metro the speed of the water gave shopkeepers no time to save stock. He fears the insurance bills will rack up into ‘the millions.’

He said: ‘We have lost so much stock it’s devastating. My basement is still being pumped out. So much stock has been damaged. The water came so quickly there was no time to act it was very frightening. It was very fierce. Now I am counting the cost.’

Nearby, the Nisa Local was also hit with the shop a scene of total carnage.

Boxes of stock were still floating in the basement on Wednesday with shop workers saying they do not expect to be open again until at least the weekend. 

Staff member Nim Patel told Metro: ‘It was crazy. My boss’s car was floating the water came so quickly. The clear up is a nightmare and we have lost a lot of costly stock.’ 

Zackaria from Zac’s Tailoring told Metro: ‘It’s like a river running through, there is two metres of water currently in my shop. My business is gone, I have been here for 17 years.’ 

Thames Water are still at the scene of the carnage which was caused when a 30 inch water main burst. 

Part of Caledonian Road is still closed as the massive clear up continues. 

A mother-of-two, who lives above one of the shops, told Metro: ‘It’s a nightmare we have no electricity as it’s been turned off over safety concerns. Because we live above street level we weren’t flooded but the mayhem has had a severe impact. It was frightening for the kids and we were stuck inside for hours.’ 

The road is still covered in brown sludge and many basements are still under several feet of water. 

Thames Water said in a statement it was doing everything it could to fix the problem and has apologised to businesses and residents. 

One architect, who declined to give his name, told Metro: ‘Some of our drawings have been water damaged but we got away relatively lightly. We have no power though and it’s obviously been an upheaval. The businesses opposite were badly hit and I feel very sorry for them.’

Cllr Una O’Halloran, Leader of Islington Council, said: ‘My heart goes out to the residents, businesses, and organisations that have been impacted by this afternoon’s flooding on Caledonian Road.

‘We’re working with the emergency services to support those that are affected, and to ensure that those that have had to evacuate can return home as quickly as possible.

‘Local people simply shouldn’t have to face this level of disruption – we’re doing all we can to resolve this, but we’re calling on Thames Water to manage the situation, and help get our residents and businesses back into their properties as quickly as possible.’

A spokesperson for Thames Water said: ‘Our teams worked overnight and made good progress with the excavation to reach the damaged pipe. A large split has now been identified, along with a significant underground void. 

‘Due to health and safety considerations, work has been temporarily paused while a full on-site assessment is carried out this morning. We will continue to do everything we can to resolve the issue as quickly and safely as possible. we understand how disruptive this situation is and sincerely appreciate your patience.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.