The pond of a puddle returns to Euston Road  after a downpour last week [All photos on this page, Simon Lamrock]

WORKS to finally fix a decade-old problem of giant puddles forcing people to “wade across” Camden’s busiest road have failed.

A new drainage system was installed during weeks of works in Euston Road between Gower Street and Upper Woburn Place in December.

But recent downpours have exposed the improvements as ineffective with pools as deep and regular as ever.

Simon Lamrock, a photographer who lives in Euston, said: “Euston Road is dangerous for people to cross at best of times – crossings have short green lights so to not hold up traffic.

“Add in navigating around large areas of flood water by being forced on the road to pass them and it’s a hazardous nightmare – especially for wheel/power chair users and people with limited mobility.

“Even just using the pavement isn’t without risk of being soaked by sprays of floodwater kicked up by traffic – contaminated with all kinds of nasty pollutants from the road surface.”

He added: Euston “Puddles” have been appearing every time it rains for over a decade. TfL and Thames Water need to sort the problem once and for all – Camden need to make sure that they do.

“Buses, taxis and cars routinely roll through waves of water and shops that had to put out sandbags.”

The junctions with Upper Woburn Place and Gordon Street are the worst affected by the overwhelmed gullies.

Last November, Transport for London announced in a public notice in the New Journal a consultation with the council on drainage improvements and road resurfacing.

Camden Council’s environment chief, Labour councillor Adam Harrison, tweeted enthusiastically “it’s … actually happening!”

“After many years of lobbying TfL they are undertaking works to fix the Euston Puddle. No longer will people have to wade across the Euston Road.”

This week, Cllr Harrison said: “We have asked TfL for years to fix the drainage at this extremely busy corner right opposite Euston Station.

“We were pleased when they agreed following lobbying from the council, but are disappointed the problem remains.

“We urge them to come back to address the issue.”

The work in Euston Road which was supposed to fix the issue and the familiar puddle problem

Following complaints last summer, TfL said it would be making “improvements to drainage on Euston Road between Gower Street and Upper Woburn Place, including additional gullies and drainage capacity”, adding: “Construction work is due to start on the changes in late autumn and this is part of a wider programme to tackle flooding at multiple locations across the capital’s red routes.”

The drainage improvement works started in December.

This week, a TfL spokesperson said: “We’re sorry for the disruption caused by recent flooding on Euston Road and York Way. We are investigating the new drainage system to ensure that it works as intended in future.

“We are also working closely with our maintenance teams so they can attend when heavy rain is forecast to clear any ponding in the area.

“We want our transport network to be more resilient in the face of climate change and more extreme weather, including flash floods and increased rainfall, and will continue working closely with local councils to ensure this.”

Thames Water has said they were not involved in the works to fit the new drainage system.