Sewage spouts 100ft into the air over Hammersmith Bridge as storm drain erupts
By Jacob Phillips, Local Democracy Reporter
A Hammersmith resident was left stunned as a sewage-laden geyser shot 20 metres into the air outside of his home – for the second time in 13 days.
Heavy rainfall battered the capital yesterday afternoon, causing a storm drain to burst open, spewing water and sewage into the air 100ft over Hammersmith Bridge.
Architect Peter Brill had witnessed the sight for the first time just two week earlier.
The Queens Wharf resident is now worried children are at risk of playing in the sewage if nothing is done to fix the issue.
Mr Brill said: “There was a rumbling sound before it exploded. Then it kept on exploding.
“It was like a geyser at Yellowstone National Park. It was very surprising. I was told 90 per cent is clear water but 10 per cent is sewage.”
Filming the incident from a nearby building, a social media user named Thury Bjork drew comparisons to an Icelandic geyser.
They said: “This is crazy! Hammersmith Bridge right now. Reminds me of Geyser in Iceland.”
Previously the Thames Path was left coated in a mysterious grey muck. Peter suspects it is a build-up of wipes and toilet paper from the sewage pipes.
He added: “The whole area was covered in this grey, spongy kind of material. That used to be an area where children played.”
The area has now been cordoned off so no one walks through the debris left behind from the storm.
Thames Water said it was working to fix the flooding that forced nine London Underground stations to close, including Covent Garden, North Greenwich, Pudding Mill Lane and Stepney Green.
Large areas of East London have also been completely flooded following the storm and a major incident has been declared as the A&E department at Whipps Cross Hospital in East London was flooded due to torrential rain.
In a short statement on their social media, Thames Water explained they have been working through the night to try and prevent further damage.
They said: “Our teams have been working through the night to support the London borough emergency planners and local authorities and continue to be out this morning doing all we can to support.”
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