Westminster Bridge Road closed as burst fire hydrant sends huge fountain over street; The leak caused the closure of Westminster Bridge Road on Thursday morning.

Byline: Katy Clifton

This huge jet of water shot up from a pavement and caused the closure ofWestminsterBridge Road near St Thomas's Hospital on Thursday morning (April 12).

At around 6.30am, a minor leak was discovered in a fire hydrant, which then burst and caused a powerful fountain near the junction of Kennington Road.

The road was closed as officers fromMetropolitan Police, who were joined by London Fire Brigade, cordoned off the area around the jet of water.

By 8.45am there was queuing traffic on the A3036 Lambeth Palace Road as a result of the closure, also causing travel chaos near Waterloo station.

"We're sorry for the traffic disruption this morning," aThames Waterspokesman told getwestlondon.

"Our engineers are at the scene working to stop the flow of water which we believe is coming from a fire hydrant and not one of our water mains.

No water supplies are affected. From a safety point of view, police and firefighters are cordoning off the area and are helping with traffic and pedestrians," they added.

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A number of buses were diverted during rush hour, including routes 12, 53, 148,159, 453 and C10.

A spokesman for TfL tweeted at 7.13am: "[Westminster Bridge Road] is now closed from Westminster Bridge Roundabout while the emergency services assist at the scene."

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Credit: TfL

A fire hydrant burst in Westminster Bridge Road