Huge leak sends jets of water higher than a house in Charlton
By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter
Huge jets of water could be seen pumping through the air following a water leak near a roundabout.
A video posted on Twitter shows torrents of water squirting higher than a house in Charlton, Greenwich, at the roundabout in Woolwich Church Street.
Jordan Kemp, who posted the video, said to Thames Water in his tweet: “This is currently in SE7 Charlton. Are we still on a hose pipe ban/drought? Should be about time we see mass improvements in the infrastructure before you start charging more money.”
Mr Kemp, 28, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he took the video on March 7 while his wife was driving the pair to get lunch.
The local said he has lived in Charlton his whole life, and was worried about the lack of traffic control in the area upon seeing the leak.
He said: “After coming back, I was thinking it was quite dangerous because it’s right on top of a roundabout. That amount of pressure is going on just past a school. Looking at the video again, I think it’s a danger waiting to happen.”
Mr Kemp said the water being wasted irritated him given the hosepipe ban placed by Thames Water last year, and that he feels water “shouldn’t be a thing you pay for”.
He said: “We got charged on the metre for a cup of water, but where’s the fines in terms of letting multiple gallons of water out. And then you’re going to charge us more to do the improvements you were meant to do in the first place.”
A Greenwich council spokesperson said the council was aware of the issue and that the incident was a Thames Water issue.
However, a Thames Water spokesperson told the LDRS they believed the leak came from pipes owned by a third party.
They said: “Finding and fixing leaks is a top priority with over 1,000 repairs made each week. We received reports of a water leak in Charlton on Tuesday, March 7, and our engineers attended on the same day to investigate.
“On attendance, the leak had stopped and it’s believed it came from a third-party pipework. We carried out due diligence and checked the surrounding areas for any leaks in our network, however, none were identified.”
Pictured top: The leak at Woolwich Church Street roundabout (Picture: Jordan Kemp)