Flooding at Heathrow - how?

[blessedbreeze]

Just saw this headline: BBC News - Heathrow Airport warns of disruption following floods - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgmkdr3gy07o

Has there been a major pipe burst or was there a very local overnight storm? I live a few miles away from Heathrow and there has been no rain for weeks.

Does the article give no indication as to the cause?

I read the full seven sentences of the article for you.

No, it doesn't. But the wording implies it's something they are fixing, and mentions a previous situation with railways and a water leak.

It's got to be a burst pipe surely? The article and the statement they have released are not really very informative.

I expect the BBC just re-printed the press release then added the final 3 paragraphs as "context".

I don't suppose they know whether there's a connection to the previous leak or not. Its a good bet though, and not good press during a hosepipe ban.

It does say "This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version."

It’s just updated - it’s a pipe leak. Is it Thames Water down there? Perhaps something will get done about them if it’s actually hitting other large corporate profits.

The Times is reporting it's a burst water main:

Holidaymakers have been told not to travel to some Heathrow airport terminals by road owing to flooding caused by a burst water main.
A spokesperson for Heathrow airport said a burst water main in the central terminal area, beneath Inner Ring Road West, was causing flooding which has led to road closures which are restricting access to Terminals 2 and 3.

That's going to be seriously embarrassing for the water company that owns it particularly if they've imposed a hosepipe ban.

Burst pipe.

It is Thames Water

The state of the water system in this country is a disgrace. Here we are being urged not to use hosepipes and think twice about having a bath and yet we had an exceptionally wet winter and spring and any amount of water is being lost through leaks. Why haven't one of our many recent governments got round to building a new reservoir and insisting that the privatised water companies fix the leaks?