Thames Water has apologised for “the flooding and distress” caused by a burst pipe in north London that forced several homes to be evacuated.

A 42-inch water main burst overnight and unleashed half a metre of flooding across an area of around 800 metres, London Fire Brigade (LFB) said.

Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters were called to Belsize Road in Camden at around 3am on Saturday morning.

The fire brigade said several homes were flooded and firefighters had to lead around 20 residents to safety.

Footage shared on social media shows emergency services using small boats and helping residents wrapped in blankets to safety.

Sophie Adams, who lives near the flood, woke to find only a drizzle of water when she turned on the tap to make a cup of tea.

“Now there’s nothing come out of the taps at all. They’re bone dry,” she said.

Woman dies after being injured in Brixton concert crush

British Transport Police officer sentenced for attempting sexual communication with girl

Winter Wonderland slingshot ride smashes into post after bungee cord breaks

Ms Thompson added: “We are moaning about having no water but there are people whose flats are flooded.”

Police officers were telling people in the area that they may not have water for a couple of days.

One firefighter spoke of basement windows being forced inwards by the power of the gushing water.

In a statement, Thames Water apologised for the lack of water and the disruption.

“We’re really sorry for the flooding and distress this has caused, as well as the impact on local water supplies,” it said.

On Saturday its engineers managed to turn off the flow from a large burst pipe in Loudoun Road, which took some time as some valves were under parked cars.

Thames Water did not yet know how long it would take to refill the network, but said heating should still work in the meantime.

Related posts:

Watch: Friday’s newspaper front pages Army to shrink to its smallest size since the 1700s under sweeping defence plans UK could face water shortages if action is not taken to conserve supplies River Thames seal nicknamed Freddie Mercury put down after dog attack Treasury admits staff held ‘impromptu’ drinks during lockdown last year Thousands queue for Banksy T-shirt to raise cash for four accused of toppling slave trader statue Police concern for missing teen last seen leaving nightclub Sir David Attenborough named ‘Champion of the Earth’ by UN Mother, stepfather and boy, 14, found guilty of murdering five-year-old Logan Mwangi ‘Officers acted with integrity’: Met Police chief defends partygate investigation Gary Neville referred to attorney general over social media post Boris Johnson’s official plane used for ‘boozy jolly’ over the UK, report claims