Constant burst water mains at the Overhill Road end of LL

Yet again LL has had another burst water main on the same stretch of the road between Mount Adon Park and Overhill Road.

How many times after Thames Water replaced the Victorian pipes has that section of road had sections closed off in the last few years? I've lost count of the disruption caused by the 'modern' pipes.

I hear you! We seem to lose our water supply at least once a quarter? It’s become part of the routine over the years. Sometimes we get a warning, most of the time we don’t. I don’t understand why it’s a repeated problem. The water wasted is also astonishing.

I think we can expect more such incidents because the brilliant summer we are having is drying out the clay soil and that is stressing the mains.

And another burst water main next to the telephone exchange which left residents of the Lordship Lane Estate without water from around 2am until 4pm.

Temporary traffic lights are in operation.

Still suffering the after affects, have had low/irregular water pressure especially in the mornings.

And once again it wouldn't be the same if Thames Water didn't dig up that section of LL again. This time it's by Overhill Road, temporary lights are in use.

Luckily, the water pressure seems to be fine this time round.

Those works have been causing chaos on the A205 as nothing can get down Lordship Lane (due to the temporary lights) - it's causing gridlock affecting Sydenham Hill, Forest Hill and as far back as Tulse Hill in the other direction.

Also to add to the misery, there is a three way timed set of lights controlling a contraflow at the junction of the A205 at the top of Dulwich Common and Lordship Lane while they deal with another leak on the corner of Underhill & LL.

Also some works on Belvoir Road but that looks like possibly installing water meters.

Oh, and an email today from Thames Water to say the hosepipe ban is still in effect. You couldn't make it up...!!!

Cycling from Lordship Lane onto the South Circ an hour ago I just thought FFS. The board up from Thames Water suggesting they are improving the service, rather than patching up, takes the biscuit Edited November 2, 2022 by malumbu

It is a joke - Thames Water seem incapable of fixing the issues on that stretch and they seem to have problems with alarming regularity. I appreciate these are emergency works so do not need integrated or forward-planning but the impact they are having on congestion levels along huge parts of the A205 is not acceptable. It seems to be happening every couple of weeks - is anyone trying to hold Thames Water to account?

I walked down East Dulwich Grove earlier and the traffic was queuing from the Dulwich Village junction back beyond Melbourne Grove towards Lordship Lane and I suspect that is linked to these issues on the A205.

Oh, and an email today from Thames Water to say the hosepipe ban is still in effect. You couldn't make it up...!!!

Based on their own business practices I imagine that, during these almost constant recent downpours they themselves would otherwise have had their sprinklers in constant use!

Their 'justification' for forcing water meters on us is that this will inhibit us using water to such an extent that their forecast shortages will not occur - although those shortages are actually less than the amount of water they themselves are losing through leaks. Their rapacious philosophy is thus to charge us more so they can do less - and indeed not even do what our existing charges are meant to be paying for. But their (overseas) shareholders are still smiling, so that's all right!

The infrastructure may be elderly, but the fact that the same sections are constantly re-leaking does suggest that they are incapable of making repairs to any acceptable standard - even when they close roads for weeks/ months saying that they are installing entirely new and modern infrastructure. The Victorian pipework lasted 100 years and more, theirs can hardly last a season!

It was even more chaotic this morning as the contra-flow they have put in has effectively closed the A205 and the impact is being felt all over South East London with complete gridlock as far back as Catford with people trying to find ways around the works. Perhaps more worrying is I called Thames Water about it this morning to see how long it is likely to take and they have no details on their system about it - they thought it was the metering works!

I've emailed them also, will be contacting TfL as well. It is urgent repair apparently and yet no one is there and nothing will happen over the weekend either, like on the College Rd.

The Overhill Road/LL works have been completed.

The Underhill Road works continue.

This morning unfortunately I got caught up in this, both ways in and out of Forest Hill, Nightmare is an under estimation of the inconvenience it is causing, there was NO ONE WORKING on the repair at the junction of Underhill/Lordship Lane, Best to be avoided but that is pretty much impossible whatever direction you are coming in. The Overhill temp traffic lights and amount of traffic queuing there was far less and moving reasonably quickly. I hope Thames Water can pull there finger out of the proverbial hole and get this repair done so traffic can once again flow freely.

If you are stuck in this traffic - or any traffic for that matter - please do not honk. It doesn't help the situation and you make it so much worst for people who happen to live there.

Any updates on the progress of the Underhill Rd/Lordship Lane junction Thames Water repair?

Zero progress - still a hole and no sign of anyone from Thames Water.

The update on their website says (as it has for the last 3 days):

Our technicians are due to investigate the reported leak on Lordship Lane and will be there shortly. If a repair is needed we'll get this planned in as quickly as possible.

What on earth are they playing at?

If anyone remembers when that section of LL was closed for weeks on end because of Thames Water, regardless of it being part of the South Circular, they're never in a rush.

Everyone should try and complain. What a terrible waste of money, time and resources the TW is! They dig out a hole under an 'emergency' banner and dissppear!! Not a single person there to do any work and they will leave this mess for who knows how long!

It gets worse, apparently the temporary lights failed and it's been utter chaos....

You'd think/expect that where the burst is and the level of disruption that it is causing, Thames Water would deal with it as an actual emergency.

Not surprised the temp traffic lights have failed, temp lights always seem to be unreliable.

The work is to finish on 8/11 apparently, just wondering what this 'work' actually is.

Absolute chaos again today and knock-on effect being felt all across the area as people try to find a way around it.

Let's see whether anyone bothers to work on it today because, despite claims it will be completed tomorrow, the Thames Water website still says:

Current activity status:

Our technicians are due to investigate the reported leak on Lordship Lane and will be there shortly. If a repair is needed we'll get this planned in as quickly as possible.

Work reference number:

31874354

Has anyone seen or heard from the local councillors on this?

That junction falls in Dulwich Wood Ward, so Andy Simmonds tweeted about the traffic light failure, while Catherine Rose hasn't which isn't surprising.