Nearly two weeks after a major explosion rocked Burke Close in Roehampton, serious questions remain unanswered about what exactly happened, how it could have been prevented, and how Wandsworth Council has dealt with the issue.
The incident on 27 March began when a contractor installing a fence at a freehold property struck a high-powered electrical cable, which in turn appears to have ignited a gas main. The result: a series of explosions and fires that damaged several homes across two terraces. One house was left visibly wrecked. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt — but many residents were displaced and remain shaken.
Yet despite the seriousness of the incident, what was offered at Wandsworth’s Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting was more confusion than clarity.
“We don’t really understand how it happened”
Council officers and councillors openly admitted that the sequence of events was still not understood.
“I can’t work out what happened,” said a senior officer. “How hitting a high-voltage power cable can cause a gas boiler to explode is beyond my understanding.” The Council is still waiting on a formal investigation report from the London Fire Brigade, with no estimated timeline for when it will be received.
In the meantime, officials confirmed that the gas and electricity networks in two terraces were seriously damaged, and that multiple boilers have had to be replaced — a cost still being assessed.
The Council believes most of the direct physical damage was to privately owned properties, but that some council tenants were affected, particularly through infrastructure failures. Temporary accommodation was arranged in those cases.
Council praises its response, but residents raise doubts
Council officers repeatedly praised their own handling of the incident, calling it “exemplary.” One officer claimed they were on-site within minutes of the fire brigade and “stayed on site until every resident had been looked after.”
However, residents and some local councillors have challenged aspects of this narrative.
There are conflicting reports about who opened the local community centre, which was used as a rest point for residents. The Council insists it took the lead, but local accounts suggest residents may have done this themselves, before any official presence was visible. There was also no discussion of the fact that residents say they had been reporting the strong smell of gas to the council and gas company for weeks before the explosions.
In the committee meeting, such discrepancies were not discussed. Instead, any questioning of the Council’s response was dismissed as politically motivated. Cabinet Member for Housing Cllr Aydin Dikerdem referred to “misinformation” and implied critics were using “scandal” to stir fear.
“We’re in the business of safety,” he said, “and it’s important that we get the facts out clearly. Some of what’s been said has just scared residents unnecessarily.”
But others warned against that defensive posture. “There’s lots of concern about finding an explanation as to what’s happened here, and getting to the bottom of it.”
Accountability Still Unclear
What remains uncertain is who was ultimately responsible for the works that caused the explosion. Council officers said they were unsure and described it as “an accident,” though they have not ruled out pursuing insurance claims for costs incurred.
“We’ve started conversations with our insurers,” said one officer, “and we’re exploring whether we can make claims against the network providers — Cadent or UK Power Networks — depending on the outcome of the investigation.”
For residents, especially those who experienced damage or displacement, the lack of clear answers is frustrating. While the Council insists safety is its top priority, and that it will act on the findings of the Fire Brigade’s report once it arrives, there is growing unease over the slow communication, mixed messages, and defensive tone of senior figures.
In the broader context of the Council’s recent C3 regulatory rating for housing safety failings, the Burke Close explosions — and the Council’s handling of the aftermath — may only deepen public concern.
