Thames Water has completed emergency repairs to the Roehampton water main that closed a major red route for three days; now work on a second burst pipe begins.
The Roehampton Lane road closure ended yesterday morning after the burst main, identified on Monday, affected approximately 350 properties and causing widespread congestion across Putney and Roehampton.
Temporary traffic lights are still in place while the road is rebuilt and buses remain rerouted through narrow Dover House Road – but it should mean less congestion Friday morning.
Thames Water will now turn its attention to Carslake Road, where residents report the burst has been pouring water since Tuesday while emergency crews focused on the main route.
The one.network permit database show Thames Water obtained authorisation for Carslake Road repairs on 6 January, the same day as the Roehampton Lane burst. But a second permit issued yesterday schedules work to begin at 9:05am today. Temporary traffic lights are already in place on the residential street.
The pattern reveals Thames Water’s infrastructure capacity is so stretched that two simultaneous bursts overwhelmed the system, forcing it to leave one area without running water while crews fixed the other.
Meanwhile residents near Roehampton Lane should finally get their water back today. Ellie from Woodcoot House reported on Wednesday that 44 flats had been without water and toilet facilities for over 30 hours with no information from Thames Water. “No other support or temporary water has been provided by either Thames Water or the council,” she commented on our news story. “It is sad to live in such inhumane conditions.”
A Thames Water statement said the company “delivered bottled water to customers on our Priority Services Register and remain available to help anyone needing extra support.” The company did not respond to questions about whether Woodcoot House residents were contacted or whether the Priority Services Register reached everyone affected.
Three bursts in eight days
The Carslake Road repair is the third burst water main in SW15 in just over a week. A major burst closed West Hill in both directions on New Year’s Eve, causing significant road and pavement damage that took several days to repair.
Roehampton Lane became the second failure when the main burst near Clarence Lane and forced a complete road closure from Monday evening causing gridlock across Putney when six bus routes diverted through Dover House Road, where existing gas works had already narrowed the street to a single lane with temporary traffic lights.
Bus drivers stepped out of their vehicles trying to see what was causing the jam as traffic backed up from Roehampton through Putney Heath to Putney High Street. The diversions affected routes to Roehampton University, Queen Mary’s Hospital and the Alton Estate.
Thames Water refused to say when the Roehampton road closure would end when contacted on Tuesday. We finally received a response late Thursday.
Carslake Road has been leaking throughout this period. Thames Water’s statement confirmed “another burst pipe on Carslake Road, which has caused further supply issues for residents, will be repaired tomorrow (9 January).” The burst has been causing bus diversions on route 424 via Putney Heath.
Freezing temperatures are the obvious cause. Thames Water reported in December that the company was experiencing “twice the usual bursts” due to cold weather. But the utility has offered no explanation for why its infrastructure repeatedly failed across SW15, what caused each specific burst, or why response capacity proved insufficient to handle two simultaneous repairs.
Today’s disruption
Commuters face another round of congestion, although it should be less severe. Although Roehampton Lane has partially reopened, gas works on Dover House Road and the narrow geometry of Carslake Road combined with temporary lights will still create bottlenecks. Alternative routes include Putney Hill heading north and the A3 via Tibbet’s Corner heading south.
Thames Water customers experiencing supply issues can call 0800 316 9800 or check thameswater.co.uk/network-latest for updates. The company’s Priority Services Register is available for customers who may need extra support during water disruptions, though registration appears required before incidents occur.
Bus passengers should check tfl.gov.uk/bus/status for live service updates.
