Thousands of homes in north London are still without hot water or heating nine days after a burst water main flooded gas pipes in what angry residents have described as a ‘perfect storm.’
Young families and elderly people have been left ‘frozen to the bone’ with temperatures often falling below zero – after the incident in Muswell Hill.
Many have been reduced to all living in one room to conserve heat and can’t even cook if they have a gas oven.
With no hot water many have had to shower at friends’ houses while one mother has resorted to bathing her children in a bucket in the living room.
Affinity Water and Cadent Gas are working around the clock to fix the problem which started on January 9.
But nine days on many are still not reconnected while extra pressure has been piled on the electricity grid with so many freezing residents turning to electric heaters to warm them up.
Bel Kennedy had just been to a local community centre where woolly socks and blankets were among the items being distributed to families and the elderly.
She told Metro: ‘It’s been a nightmare I have kids aged 10 and 15 and to keep them warm and fed has been so difficult.
‘We have been huddled in one room and because we can’t cook I’ve had to order pizzas every night. It’s so costly and it’s not healthy.
‘None of us in this area have been treated well and we are getting desperate. It’s nine days now and it’s just not good enough.’
Katie McLean, 51, described how her family sleep in one room to keep warm and that her friend has been washing her children in a bucket because there is no hot water for baths or showers.
She told Metro: ‘The last thing I managed to do was give the kids a bath before the hot water went off. It’s been very tricky.
‘The house is freezing so we all sleep in one room. Heating the house with an electric heater and log burner is costing a bomb. My friend has been washing her kids in a bucket. The gas and water companies need to get this sorted.’
Several areas off Colney Hatch Lane have been dug up so engineers can work on the pipes.
The Freehold community centre is where many residents have been referred to for help with staff from Affinity Water helping them.
Pensioner Pauline Lewis was one of the residents at the centre.
She told Metro: ‘The help we are being given is very impressive but it’s still extremely difficult in these freezing temperatures.’
Christine Kienzel said: ‘My house is freezing and I have had to put on loads of layers.
‘My husband is over 70 so we have been given some help but one heater does not make a lot of difference. We are frozen to the bone.’
‘We have been huddled in one room and because we can’t cook I’ve had to order pizzas every night.
‘None of us in this area have been treated well and we are getting desperate. It’s nine days now and it’s just not good enough.’
Residents said they have been offered £70 compensation for every 24 hours they are without gas. However, that will be given to them in form of a reduction on their bill rather than in cash.
Alethea Garvey, 50, told Metro: ‘It’s a perfect storm with the problems with gas water and electricity. And to offer money off bills is not fair compensation. It’s a disgrace.’
Businesses have also been hit with some forced to close and others seeing takings well done.
Depala Surya, 58, who has run Micks newsagents on Sydney Road for 25 years, told Metro: ‘I have lost so much custom because all the roads are dug up and also people are just trying to cover themselves in blankets and not going out.
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‘Normally I get about 20 customers an hour now I’m getting one. I feel so sorry for my regular customers it’s so terrible what they are going through. We are all losing out through no fault of our own.’
What have the gas and water companies said?
Cadent Gas, which manages the UK’s National Gas Emergency Service, said it was working to restore the supply and had pumped more than 33,000 litres of water out of the gas network.
Affinity Water said an investigation into how flood water seeped into gas lines was underway.
A spokesperson for Affinity Water said: ‘Affinity Water is aware of the ongoing situation in the N10 area of North London, where water has entered the local gas network. We fully understand the significant disruption this has caused for residents and businesses and are committed to working closely with Cadent Gas and other agencies to support the resolution of the issue as quickly and safely as possible.
‘Our teams responded swiftly to repair the damaged water main, ensuring no further water can enter the gas network. The exact circumstances of how the water entered Cadent’s infrastructure remain under investigation. While Cadent Gas is leading the effort to restore gas supplies, we are providing ongoing assistance to their teams and supporting the local community throughout this process.
‘For residents impacted by the gas supply disruption, we encourage you to stay updated through Cadent Gas, who are providing regular updates on their progress. Please also note that Cadent will need to carry out safety checks on all gas appliances before restoring the gas supply to properties. If residents experience any further issues with their home appliances once gas is restored, Affinity Water will be on hand to provide additional assistance.
‘We remain committed to assisting Cadent Gas and the local community until the situation is fully resolved. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this challenging time.’
Vicky Grieve, Cadent’s Network Director, said: ‘By the end of today [Tuesday], we should have gas back to more than half of the properties impacted by these issues caused by water from a burst water main getting into our gas network.
‘We are working hard to restore gas to all remaining properties over the next few days.
‘This has been a very complex task – so far removing over 35,000 litres from our underground pipes, before reintroducing gas carefully, with everyone’s safety being paramount.
‘I am hugely appreciative of everyone’s ongoing patience and support. I know this is frustrating and not nice to be without gas. We promise we are doing all we can to get this resolved as soon as possible.
‘We hope local residents continue to visit the team at our incident customer centre, if they have any questions, or need our support in any way, and we are posting regular updates at cadentgas.com/n10.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
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