Contractors Blamed for Day of Chaos in Shepherd's Bush
Council say water main damaged by National Grid workers
Contractors carrying out gas repairs for the National Grid are being blamed for the burst water main which caused extensive chaos in Shepherd's Bush on Thursday, with roads around Wood Lane and Shepherd's Bush Green flooded and the water supply to thousands of homes being cut off from morning till evening.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council tweeted on Thursday afternoon @LBHF: " @ThamesWater now repairing burst water main damaged by @NationalGridUK in Uxbridge Rd W12. Teams repairing pipe & restoring water supplies."
Thames Water says the burst has now been fixed and the water supply restored, but some people in White City are reporting on Twitter that they are still without water on Friday morning.
Thames Water say: "We believe the pipe was damaged by a third party and will be fully investigating what happened."
The National Grid gas repair work which began on Tuesday April 28 means that the westbound carriageway of Uxbridge Road between Shepherd's Bush Green and Lime Grove is closed for the next ten weeks.
However, the water main which burst at the junction of Uxbridge Road and Pennard Road caused Uxbridge Road and other roads in the other to be totally closed as water flooded across the surface.
And the general chaos in the area increased when Askew Road was also closed between 11am and midday due to a security alert, which police said was due to the discovery of an undetonated hand grenade.
This was confirmed in a tweet @MPSHammFul: " Askew Road is now fully open, Thanks for your patience whilst we dealt with an undetonated hand grenade. The area is safe now #FHTeam."
While Thames Water have now fixed the water main which caused yesterday's problems, local residents now face another ten weeks of disruption on Uxbridge Road. National Grid say the work is being done to replace ageing metal gas pipes with newer pipes made from a more durable material.
Residents can expect delays and are asked to try and avoid the area if possible. National Grid has said new mains will be inserted into the old pipes where possible and the digging has been scheduled to coincide with planned resurfacing works in the area to minimise disruption.
National Grid project engineer, Pat Nathan, says: " We need to replace these gas mains now to ensure people continue to have safe and reliable gas supplies for heating and cooking."
For more information on the work or to register any complaints, call National Grid on 0800 096 5678.
May 1, 2015
