UPDATED Putney has ground to a halt this morning.
A burst water main has closed Roehampton Lane, one of the area’s main red routes. Six bus routes have been diverted up Dover House Road, a narrow residential street. But Dover House Road already has gas works blocking it with temporary traffic lights. And the junction at the bottom is just a Give Way, with traffic on Upper Richmond Road backing up so far that nothing can get out.
The result is bedlam. Traffic is gridlocked from Roehampton through Putney Heath and all the way back into Putney High Street. Bus drivers are getting out of their vehicles and standing in the road to see what’s going on. Nothing is moving.
The road is closed in both directions near the junction with Clarence Lane, where Thames Water contractors are working to repair a large hole that has flooded the carriageway. Water was still pooling across the road surface on Wednesday morning despite excavation work beginning overnight.
Six bus routes are on diversion until works are complete. Routes 265, 419, 493, 969, N72 and N74 are all being rerouted via Upper Richmond Road, Dover House Road and Medfield Street, according to TfL notices posted at 01:45 this morning.
The diversions mean buses are not serving stops between Rosslyn Park Rugby Football Club and Roehampton Lane/Danebury Avenue, affecting commuters travelling to Roehampton University, Queen Mary’s Hospital and the Alton Estate.
The Cadent Gas works on Dover House Road have temporary traffic lights at the northern end and closed side roads. With buses and cars queuing the entire length of the street unable to move, and traffic on Upper Richmond Road making it impossible to exit at the Give Way junction, the diversion route has become a trap.
Thames Water signage at the scene lists the expected completion date as “TBC” and gives the works reference as BB J028624. The contractor is listed as BUKO/Thames Water.
It is unclear whether Thames Water, Cadent Gas and TfL coordinated before directing buses onto Dover House Road, or whether the gas works were already in place when the diversion was established overnight.
Thames Water’s press office did not answer calls on Wednesday morning and the call went to voicemail. The company has not yet listed the Roehampton Lane incident on its network updates page.
The burst main is the latest in a series of Thames Water infrastructure failures affecting south west London. A major burst on West Hill closed that road in both directions over New Year’s Eve, while another burst on Carslake Road in Putney Heath is also causing bus diversions this week. Thames Water reported in December that freezing conditions had caused “twice the usual bursts” across its network.
Roehampton Lane connects Putney to Roehampton, Queen Mary’s Hospital, Roehampton University and the A3. Its complete closure is forcing traffic to disperse across the wider area.
Drivers are advised to use alternative routes. Those heading north towards Hammersmith can use Putney Hill and the A3. Southbound traffic towards Kingston should consider Putney Heath or the A3 via Tibbet’s Corner.
For bus passengers, TfL recommends checking journey planners before travelling. Real-time updates are available at tfl.gov.uk/buses.
Thames Water customers experiencing water supply issues can call 0800 316 9800 or check thameswater.co.uk/network-latest for updates.
Thames Water has been contacted for comment.
UPDATE 4:00 PM: The road remains closed this evening, nearly 15 hours after the burst was discovered. A Putney.news reporter visited the site and found no Thames Water contractors working despite the ongoing closure.
Water has stopped gushing but remains pooled in a large excavated crater across the carriageway. The site is secured with multiple rows of barriers but sits empty as evening approaches. Traffic continues to be diverted, with drivers forced to turn around when they reach the closure.
Thames Water signage at the scene lists the expected completion date as “TBC” (to be confirmed). The company has not provided an estimated repair timeline, and the incident remains unlisted on Thames Water’s network updates page. The press office has not responded to requests for comment made this morning.
Local schools and nurserys have also been affected as their is no water in the buildings and so they have not been able to open. Impacting 100s of families who have had to rush to find alternative provision. The fact that staff are not working on site round the clock to resolve this is unbelievable.
I could not agree more with the sentiment expressed above by Nix. I have commented on numerous occasions, on the Wandsworth website, when pictures have been published showing various works, apparently in progress, but lacking any sign that work is actually going on to rectify the chaos thereby created. All these pictures do is to suggest that no one in authority has any sense of urgency about any disruption the ordinary Joe Shmoe in the street might experience.