Published: February 23, 2012
by TOM FOOT

HUNDREDS of thousands of litres of water – enough to fill Parliament Hill Lido – have gurgled down a drain because Thames Water cannot fix a broken pipe.

Officials said stopping the leak outside the World’s End pub in Camden Town – now in its fourth week – is a “tricky job”.

On Tuesday, workmen were sent into the bowels of Camden Town Tube station after the last train to see if they could repair the problem from below.

But the following day, the babbling brook was still flowing under the  tables outside the King of Falafel restaurant in Camden Road.

The shocking water wastage comes as environment chiefs warned that the country’s rivers were running dry and London was at high risk of drought. The leak has been nicknamed the “Camden River” due to its fast current and the need for passers-by to jump over it.

The New Journal has estimated that at least 40,000 litres have been lost.

That figure was reached by holding an empty two-litre plastic bottle in the mouth of stream and timing how long it takes to fill: 50 seconds. The actual wastage figure could be 10 or even 20 times more due to the width of the “river”.

On Tuesday, a Thames Water spokesman said he had no excuse for the unacceptable delay, adding: “We should have done better. We’re sorry to anyone inconvenienced by this leak.

“This is a tricky job as it can only be done when Camden Town Tube station is not in use. To access it means impinging on the line.

“So as soon as the last train runs tonight we’ll be in there fixing this broken pipe.”

But the next day, the problem still had not been fixed and a spokeswoman said: “We were out last night doing exploratory work which will continue tonight. We hope to get this one repaired as soon as we can.”