'It wasn't Belsize Road, it was Belsize River' says Kilburn man

John Jay and Judi Bevan’s dog, Billy, was rescued by a firefighter as Belsize Road found itself under water on Saturday (December 17).

The couple and their pet have decamped to stay with friends in Maida Vale unsure of what they have lost and what they have saved.

An annual Christmas party on December 20 that they host for friends has had to be cancelled.

The residents of Belsize Road were woken up in the early hours of the morning by the fire brigade warning them that their houses were starting to fill with water.

Many people, especially those with properties on the ground floor, were forced to evacuate to nearby Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre, in Adelaide Road, which provided them with showers and shelter from the cold.

John who lives in the street, said that when he looked outside “the garden had turned into a lake” before he headed down to fetch Billy in the basement kitchen.

As he worked to bring his distressed dog out of the basement, he tried to move as many things above ground as the water went up past his ankles.

John, who works in asset management and has been living on the road with his wife, Judi, since 2001, said that his kitchen had only recently been renovated following a flood in June last year.

The keen walker said after his dog, the first thing he looked to save were his maps, which he'd only just replaced.

He said his wife would be "relieved" to hear her cookbooks were saved but he's worried their piano may not have survived. 

He, like many others, are starting to make calls to their insurance companies to assess the financial situation.

“We will just have to hope and pray,” he said.

John Jay's home after a burst water pipe in Kilburn flooded his basement (Image: John Jay)

The local power networks are working to restore electricity to the affected residents of the floods in the area, some who were in the dark for three days. 

A spokesperson from UK Power Network said engineers restored supplies to customers in Belsize Road and Fairhazel Gardens on Monday "where we needed to turn off power for safety reasons on Saturday."

They added: "The pipe has now been repaired by the water company and each of the 66 properties are being inspected and reconnected by our engineers as quickly and safely as possible.

"Thirty three customers had been reconnected by 14.40 on Monday."

Many of the locals are querying if Thames Water has done enough to prevent this "recurring issue" of floods.

Joan Munro from the South Hampstead Flood Action Group has been talking to Thames Water for the last 15 months about the flood defences in the area.

 “They have been doing some investigations into this and some small things have been promised, but not enough to adequately protect us”, she said.

Kilburn councillor Eddie Hanson tweeted: "Thoughts are with those who have been displaced or affected by the flooding due to the burst water pipe in Belsize Road."

A Thames Water spokesperson said the water giant was "sorry" if people's supply was affected by the burst pipe.

“We’ve carried out a series of tests and can confirm there are no quality issues with the returning water supply.

“You won’t need to apply for compensation. If you qualify for a payment under our Customer Guarantee Scheme, we’ll automatically credit your Thames Water account within 20 working days. 

"For those residents who have experienced damage to their properties, our adjusting team has now started the formal damage assessment process, and this will continue into next week. 

“If customers are still experiencing you’re still  issues with your supply, please call us on 0800 316 9800.  
Customers can find more information about what to expect as your water returns here.”