Maida Vale, the valley of floods

The three-foot main released water with such pressure that the road surface was lifted and thousands of gallons flooded the streets and basements of Maida Vale.

Business owners said thousands of pounds of stock had been destroyed and scores of motorists found their cars, stored in a low level car park, had been ruined.

Roads around Maida Vale were closed. The fire brigade tried to divert water to enable Thames Water to locate the faulty main.

Warwick Avenue Tube station on the Bakerloo line was closed after a power failure caused by the flooding.

Some locals waded through the water barefoot while others created temporary wood bridges.

Residents in Melbourne Court were evacuated to a nearby pub because water had flooded petrol supplies and the substation beneath the building, which also meant electricity supplies had to be switched off.

The owner of nearby newsagents, Priyesh Patel, said: "I've got about £3,000 worth of stock downstairs and most of it is covered in water. We're also suffering from today's loss of business.

"Who knows how long it will take Thames Water to process claims and pay us compensation."

Andrew Jenson, 26, a business development manager, said the bottom floor of his apartment block was underwater. He said: "You can't even get out of some of the exits unless you're prepared to swim."

A spokesman for the fire service said: "We've had to cordon off much of Maida Vale because of the risks of the road collapsing. Few homes have been flooded, but a lot of cars have been completely ruined including a Jaguar, Ferrari and a Mustang."

A Thames Water spokeswoman said: ""We will be doing everything we can to restore the situation to normal as quickly as possible."