Burst Water Main Closes Bath Road by Turnham Green Terrace
Flooding along Bath Road. Picture: Yussuf Mwanza @mzauk / @mzaplanning
January 21, 2023
Bath Road in Chiswick may need to be closed for several days due to a burst water main.
The road is currently shut between the junction of Turnham Green Terrace and Emlyn Road.
Water started flooding onto the road on Thursday morning (19 January) near the Tabard pub reaching as far as Rupert Road. At its height, the flooding was ankle deep on parts of Bath Road and Roman Road.
A 30 inch pipe has ruptured and Thames Water engineers are on the scene. A specialist vehicle to suction up the excess water has been deployed.
According to one of the engineers on site, preliminary investigation work is currently being undertaken to assess the seriousness of the damage to the pipe. The area will need to be check for void before full excavation can be undertaking.
Video: Yussuf Mwanza @mzauk / @mzaplanningDeep waters on the Bath Road in Chiswick this morning #chiswick #burstpipe #flood pic.twitter.com/2Pibg7Vmdd
— mwanza (@mzauk) January 19, 2023
The latest estimate for completion of the work is Wednesday 25 January. Hounslow Council says traffic is being diverted to Goldhawk Road, Chiswick High Road and Turnham Green Terrace.
Water spread from the leak along the length of Bath Road
The Fire Brigade arrived on the scene after being called at 8.49am and helped protect homes and businesses by using sandbags to divert flood water. Crews from Chiswick and Hammersmith continued to assist until the afternoon.
Thames Water engineers on site at Bath Road
Diana Davis, who lives on a Roman Road said, “We had three rather nail-biting hours. The Fire Brigade was wonderful but the water was lapping up our front path and Thames Water couldn’t decide which tap they needed to turn off! I just managed to get into my car to drive it to a neighbouring street. This happened back in 2019 also.”
Flooding on Roman Road
She was critical of the response of the council which failed to send anyone to clear the gullies while firefighters were struggling to contain the problem and of Thames Water who she feels should have acted earlier.
A supply pipe had been leaking on to the pavement near the site of the burst for several days and had been fenced off from pedestrians.
Mrs Davis added, “The problem is aggravated by division of responsibility. Thames Water cover the water mains. Flood drains, which block seasonally and fail completely in such an incident, fall to Hounslow.
“There needs to be better co-ordination between Thames Water and Hounslow to deal with such incidents. A joined-up emergency response capability is clearly required and should be put in place. Leaving householders to fend for themselves with the help of the Fire Brigade - Thames Water and Hounslow later offering their separate excuses - is a recipe for disaster. If the challenge is not properly addressed, there will sooner or later be flooded houses. I imagine at that stage the insurance industry will not be slow to pursue Thames Water and Hounslow for failure to take prompt action and avert the damage.”
No traffic is allowed to enter from Turnham Green Terrace
Consideration will be given to opening one of the lanes on Bath Road allowing traffic light control but at the moment the road is closed in both directions.
Bus routes 94, 272 and are not serving stops between Turnham Green Station and Flanchford Road.
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