PEOPLE hit by flooding in an Edgware street in the early hours of yesterday morning have praised the quick actions of firefighters.

Around 30 homes in The Grove were affected after a water main at the junction of the street and the A41 Edgware Way burst at around 4am, sending a surge of water more than two feet deep down the road.

Adrienne and Alan Lee, who have lived in the street for 46 years, came downstairs when firefighters started hammering on their front door to raise the alarm.

They found their hallway full of more than a foot of water, but managed to plug gaps in the front door with towels and even clothing to stop more water pouring in.

Mr Lee said: “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, the water was pouring down the road, it was like a river had burst its banks. I came downstairs and water was pouring through the door.

“We were some of the lucky ones as we managed to hold back the water and we didn’t have carpets in the hallway or toilet, so they weren’t ruined.

“The fire brigade were brilliant. They came so quickly and managed to alert everyone. .”

The flooding brought a film of filth which spread across the street, with cleanup teams and cleaners being sent to clear the area and people’s driveways.

Muddy car tyres and tidemarks on the walls of people’s homes show the levels the water reached.

Now cleanup crews from Veolia are on the scene clearing people’s furniture, carpets and belongings from the affected homes. Dehumidifiers have also been handed to homeowners.

Hazel Shaw, whose garage was flooded out, said they had lost hundreds of pounds of possessions and been left without electricity by the problems.

She said: “It’s been a really stressful 24-hours. It took Veolia an awfully long time to stop the water from running though, about five hours, which didn’t help the problems.

“The cleanup crews have been great though, they have taken charge and cleared everything from the garage and told us what we can and can’t keep.

“There was someone senior from Veolia who came round yesterday and was very nice and helpful about the situation and I’m confident we will have our belongings replaced. The loss adjustors are coming to take a note of what has been done.”

People living in Mill Hill and North Finchley were left without water because of the incident, which hit the mains line supplying the area.

Supplies were restored at 8pm last night, but Veolia has admitted there was a delay in sending bottled water to the area.

A statement from the company added: “We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused, in particular to those who experienced property flooding in The Grove.

“Our technicians were on site as soon as we were made aware of the situation and worked throughout the whole of Sunday to carry out a complex repair to the main. Most customers whose homes were damaged have received a personal visit and we are on site again today to ensure we understand the full extent of the impact.

“We provided bottled water to customers but would like to apologise for the timing of the deliveries which took longer to arrive than anticipated.

“When the first load arrived at Wise Lane, there were a large number of customers waiting and the driver took the decision to leave the full load of water in one place, rather than splitting the load and delivering to three locations.

“We recognise the exceptionally trying circumstances that prevailed throughout the day and would like to thank the community for their patience.”