Around 100 people had to be evacuated from their homes in Islington after a burst water main sent torrents of water down Upper Street. London Fire Brigade said that six fire engines and three fire rescue units had been deployed to deal with the problem.

A statement said that the water had been "isolated and has dissipated" with firefighters pumping water into a nearby main. The evacuated residents sought refuge in The Steam Tavern as water rose to two metres in the basements of some properties on Charlton Place.

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The fire brigade was called to the scene around 5am on Monday (5 December) morning and they said they had a range of equipment to deal with such an incident including water rescue equipment including a number of high volume pumps at strategic locations around the capital.

Video footage from Upper Street showed water gushing out of the ground and flooding the surrounding street. The Met Police in Islington tweeted on Sunday night that people should avoid Upper Street, Charlton Place, Camden Passage and Colebrooke Row due to "severe flooding".