The Front Page Splash!

This story was produced on my very first day of work experience with the Wood & Vale, our local newspaper in Westminster. It appeared in an updated form as the front page splash.

FLOODS DEVASTATE MAIDA VALE

Around 50 properties were damaged and 400 homes were without drinking water in the Clifton Road area of Maida Vale on Friday.

An aging water pipe burst in the early hours of the morning, spilling millions of gallons of water onto surrounding streets.

Damage to the street surface was considerable

Flood debris littered the area, and surrounding streets were cordoned off by the Fire Brigade as the road surface began to break up under the sheer volume of water.

Local businesses experienced huge damage to stock, and were forced to close their doors when power was cut to the area around 10am.

Six hours after the pipe burst, Thames Water were still seeking to pinpoint the damage. Spokesperson Nicola Savage said:

“We are having difficulty isolating the source. The Fire Brigade are diverting the flow of water away from local businesses, and we will look into whether the pipe can be fixed, or whether it needs to be replaced.

“We have had to cut off the supply to the pipe, and there is a possibility that these disturbances may continue into tomorrow.”

Warwick Avenue tube station was also forced to close following the power cut, bringing disruption to the Bakerloo Line.

Twelve elderly residents had to be evacuated from Melbourne Court, in the Little Venice area, after flood waters rose dramatically to around two metres in the building's garage space.

The garage, the lowest lying point in the area, stands directly above an electricity substation.

Fearing for the resulting mix of petrol from the parked cars, flood waters, and electricity in the substation, the Fire Brigade evacuated residents at 10am, who gathered at a nearby pub.

This is not the first time the area has experienced such problems, leaving residents less than impressed.

Melbourne Court Porter Broderick Mills said: “This is the fourth time we’ve had a pipe burst in the area. It’s no good replacing these pipes now. They should have been replaced 20 years ago.”

Residents were deeply concerned for their property in the worst affected areas. “I have two Ferraris, two BMWs, and a Ford Mustang, and they’re all under water,” one elderly lady complained.

Responding to the wave of criticism a Thames Water spokesperson said: “We are spending half a million pounds every day replacing pipes as and when required. Unfortunately, sometimes, pipes burst.”

Report:

I was thrust (excuse the pun...) in at the deep end on the morning of my first day of work experience with the Wood & Vale. We received word via early reports on a BBC local website that a pipe had burst in Maida Vale, causing major flooding.

I jumped on my bike, took a camera, and covered the story. I was able to speak with representatives from Thames Water, the Fire Brigade, and a smattering of locals, which gave a good balance to the story.

I was aware at the time of writing that there was potentialy a better angle. The fact that the same thing had happened twice before was the best angle for the story to take.

At the time, however, this was unconfirmed. It was confirmed later in the week, when the story was updated by a full time journalist at the paper. It was therefore the angle that was used.

There were also good opportunities to get some video footage, as the story was unfolding before me. I was concerned primarily with tracking down the right people however, and so neglected to get any footage at the time.

Sources were quite forthcoming, though I had to be careful when quoting from the Melbourne Court porter, who made a number of comments concerning his experience of dealing with Thames Water staff members, and his opinions of their working practices.

The comments, though, could have opened up certain legal issues if printed, in terms of defaming Thames Water.