Businesses counting the cost of latest flood chaos
Thames Water: 'We are sorry'
Friday, 23rd August 2024 — By Caitlin Maskell
The morning after the night before in Pentonville Road [Simon Lamrock]
A BUSINESS owner has said his company may not survive after a burst mains pipe flooded King’s Cross.
Roni Inanors, who has run Mail Boxes Etc in Pentonville Road for 12 years, was one of several traders hit by severe flooding in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Thames Water apologised for the latest devastating burst, which saw 60 firefighters from stations across the capital work through the night.
Mr Inanors said: “I have to see what finances we can organise to try and do the renovation.
“I can see it being around £50,000 in expenses already, ripping out the floor, and rewiring as there is currently no electricity downstairs. I don’t know if we’ll survive it.”
Describing the chaos, he said: “The whole street was covered in mud, we were knee-deep in water downstairs with mud everywhere.
“Everything was ruined and upstairs everything was covered in a thick layer of mud. It looked like we’d been bombed.
“We’ve already had a skip load go out, there is a lot of damage. I haven’t done the figures at the moment but there are substantial losses.
“Downstairs, the water pushed everything and knocked everything: there’s water coming down from the ceilings, light sockets and switches and all the walls.”
Hafiz Nadeem, who has run Harris Food and Wine newsagent for 20 years, said: “I’m in shock, everything is damaged in some way, many of our fridges are severely damaged, the fridge where we keep drinks will have to be fixed as it’s completely gone.
“The water was gushing in – it took a whole day to clean. The floor is coming up nearest the door, the wood is rotting.
“It means the front door won’t close so we are having to use the shutters to lock the entrance of the shop. My damages are looking to be £7,000 right now, but this could go up.”
The chain restaurant Honest Burger also saw considerable water damage.
Dom Slabinskas, maintenance manager at Honest Burger said: “We had about an inch of water in the basement as well as a layer of water on the upper level of the where we keep drinks will have to be fixed as it’s completely gone.
“The water was gushing in – it took a whole day to clean. The floor is coming up nearest the door, the wood is rotting.
“It means the front door won’t close so we are having to use the shutters to lock the entrance of the shop.
“My damages are looking to be £7,000 right now, but this could go up.”
The chain restaurant Honest Burger also saw considerable water damage.
Dom Slabinskas, maintenance manager at Honest Burger said: “We had about an inch of water in the basement as well as a layer of water on the upper level of the restaurant.
“The water started trickling through the floor joints and into the ceiling of the basement.
“The fire brigade isolated all the electrics and shut everything down to make sure it was safe.
“With two-and-a-half days of trade lost we have seen big losses, it’s always so busy here and it’s one of our busiest restaurants. We’re looking at close to tens of thousands in damages at this stage.”
This is just the latest major burst to hit the area. King’s Cross Road was severely flooded twice last November.
[LFB]
In Thames Water’s most recent annual report the company said that its “assets” remain in a “poor” condition despite £2.1bn investment over the past year and that a further £3.5bn will be needed to maintain the network.
The problems range from crumbling sewage and water pipes to obsolete monitoring technology and a shortage of reservoirs, according to the company’s report.
In 2021, Labour leader Keir Starmer said he supported “common ownership” of the utility companies after severe flooding in Kilburn.
“Water should be run in the best interests of the environment and consumers – not shareholders,” he told the New Journal.
Shortly before the election, the now-chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the policy would not be taken forward when Labour came to power.
A Thames Water spokesperson said: “We are sorry for any disruption on Pentonville Road following a burst pipe in the early hours of Sunday morning.
“The burst has been isolated, and our engineers continue to work with London Fire Brigade and Police to repair the pipe and clean up the affected areas, during which time a section of road will remain closed.”
