Richmond Park MP Sarah Olney has called on Thames Water to urgently upgrade ageing infrastructure following the burst water main on Richmond Hill that caused flooding, road closures and disruption.

In an update shared yesterday, (Wednesday, 6 May), Ms Olney said Thames Water had removed temporary traffic restrictions following representations from herself and others, and would meet with Richmond Council officials to discuss the next steps.

She said she hopes final repairs will now be completed swiftly, but has written directly to Thames Water demanding long-term infrastructure improvements at the site.

In a letter to Matthew Hackshaw, Ms Olney described the recent incident as "simply unacceptable".

The burst water main left residents without water, caused flooding to homes and led to major traffic disruption due to a temporary five-way traffic light system put in place during repairs.

Ms Olney criticised rising customer bills alongside what she described as a lack of service improvements, and asked Thames Water to explain its plans for replacing ageing Victorian pipes across the network.

She also urged the company to prioritise upgrades on Richmond Hill to avoid future failures and further disruption for local residents.

Repair work to the damaged pipe was completed on Wednesday morning, although Thames Water teams remain in the area carrying out road reinstatement works after the incident caused significant damage and sinkholes.

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READ MORE: Water restored to Richmond Hill after pipe burst.

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