Burst water main floods Wealdstone High Street and shuts road

A burst water main flooded Wealdstone High Street in the early hours of Friday 23 October. The road was closed and some nearby homes were left with low water pressure or no water at all.

Footage shared with UB1UB2 shows water forcing its way up through the tarmac at about 3.53am outside the Poundstretcher and Coral shops. The water then spread across the whole width of the High Street and onto the pavements, past shops that were still shuttered.

The main belongs to Affinity Water, which supplies this part of Harrow. The flooding is understood to have reached the area around George Gange Way as well as the High Street itself.

Road closure and bus diversions

The High Street was closed in both directions between Locket Road and Masons Avenue, near where the main burst. It was still shut on Friday afternoon.

Eight bus routes that normally use the High Street were diverted around the closure. Passengers were advised to check TfL's live service updates before travelling.

Police and firefighters reportedly went to the scene in the morning as the water spread. Harrow Council said it was aware of a large flooding incident on Wealdstone High Street and set up an updates page on its website. By 8am on Friday, the council said, Affinity Water engineers were at the scene assessing the damage.

Low pressure and no water

Some households near the burst reported low water pressure or no supply on Friday. Affinity Water customers can check for supply problems at their postcode on the company's website, or report a problem through its customer service line.

Water companies usually give extra help, such as bottled water, to customers on their Priority Services Register. This includes older residents, people with medical conditions that depend on water, and families with very young children.

Same stretch flooded in 2023

This is not the first time a burst main has flooded this part of Wealdstone. On 7 June 2023, firefighters were called to Wealdstone High Street after another burst water main. That flood closed the road in both directions, got into several businesses and left residents in the HA3 area without water. Affinity Water apologised to customers at the time for the loss of supply.

The High Street is Wealdstone's main shopping street. It runs north from Harrow and Wealdstone station and is lined with independent shops, takeaways and services. Many traders rely on passing trade and buses, so a long closure can hit them hard.

Repairing a large burst main often means digging up the road to reach the pipe, fixing or replacing the damaged section, and then resurfacing the carriageway before traffic can return.