Dreaming of a wet Christmas! North London suburb is submerged under THREE FEET of water as the capital is hit by its third burst water main in just a week as residents flee their homes

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A busy high street has been left submerged in water after London was hit by its third burst water main in a week.

Hundreds of residents in Stoke Newington were forced to flee their homes after the 30in water main ruptured.

Dramatic photographs and video footage showed gallons of water flowing down the road in North London. 

Emergency workers and dozens of firefighters raced to the scene at around midday yesterday to help out.

They evacuated around 150 properties - including a block of flats - and more than 350 residents fled their homes.

A busy high street in Stoke Newington, North London, was left submerged in water after a burst pipe caused major flooding  

Residents in the area of North London were forced to flee their homes after the 30-inch water main ruptured yesterday

Dramatic photographs and video footage show gallons of water flowing down the high street as emergency workers arrived

Hackney Council set up a rest centre at Stoke Newington Town Hall and Thames Water put up residents in hotels.

Six fire engines and some 40 firefighters were sent to the scene in an effort to minimise flood damage.

It is the third time a burst water main has caused flooding in London in a week, with Islington affected on Monday.

Meanwhile, torrents of water flowed down street and flooded into people's homes in Blackheath on Saturday.

Alan Scott posted footage of residents wading through the water in Stoke Newington yesterday.

He captioned the video by saying: 'FLOOD!!! Stoke Newington right now. It's chaos.'  

Other residents who were left stranded in their flats shared photographs on Twitter.

Sarah Nurse wrote: 'Absolute carnage outside our flats! #stokenewington #flood #stranded!' 

It is the third time a burst water main has caused flooding in London this week, with residents in Islington affected on Monday 

Thames Water said it had stopped the flow of water and was working with London Fire Brigade to minimise flooding impact

Thames Water said it had stopped the flow of water in Stoke Newington.

It added that it was working with the London Fire Brigade to reduce the impact of flooding.

Bob Collington, director of Thames Water, said: 'It has been an extremely difficult week and, having visited and spoken to a number of those impacted, I am personally devastated for those customers who have suffered flooding so close to Christmas. 

'We are doing everything we can to help them and will make sure they are not left out of pocket for what has happened.

'The bursts are a clear reminder that we need to keep investing in our ageing and sometimes fragile network, with many pipes in London well over 100 years old. 

'I have started a full investigation into recent events to understand what has gone wrong and, as a top priority, will look at every single way possible to reduce the risk of any further disruption.' 

An aerial photograph shows the flooded area affecting Stoke Newington High Street, as emergency crews arrived 

A London Fire Brigade spokesman said several basements in the area were underwater yesterday

A London Fire Brigade spokesman said several basements in the area were underwater following the burst pipe.

Station Manager Nicol McCallum, who was at the scene, said: 'Crews used specialist inflatable boats to evacuate the most vulnerable residents and help others recover valuables. 

'Firefighters laid down sandbags to try and minimise the water damage.'

She added that emergency teams were working to divert water away from homes and businesses.

Hackney Police advised the public to avoid the area following the flooding.   

Residents who were left stranded in their flats shared photographs from their homes, while one person shared footage of people wading through the water 

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said several basements in the area were underwater following the burst pipe