Mark Pack

The Stroud Green Road potholes (northern division) may now be a blessed memory, but what of those near the southern end of the road, near Morris Place?

They were patched and reappeared several times before it was decided that the real problem was a water leak under the road, which (sensibly) should be fixed first. But that water leak has proved very difficult to track down.

The latest news is that there is a much wider problem than just the one leak near the junction with Morris Place. As Islington Council told me in an email:

The details are that this pipe is part of the network that supplies one side of Crouch Hill Reservoir, which is currently not in use (water quality issues). When this supply main was shut, it resulted in increased pressures within the network which was a contributing factor in the recent Seven Sisters / Broad Lane burst.  Any attempt to restrict the flow in the Stroud Green Road / Morris Place main, prior to attempting a repair, while the reservoir is still not fully operational is not a risk that Thames are prepared to take, given the known pressure increases.

I will spare you the technical details about the workaround being considered involving a 30 inch cross connection valve (largely because I don’t understand them) but in short: there’s a big problem with water supply which means it’s very hard to make a repair safely. So the potholes will be around for some time yet.

At this rate, I’ll soon be able to write, “Stroud Green Road Potholes: A History. Volume 1 2009“. Watch out for it in the Christmas bestseller lists.

Many thanks to Councillor Greg Foxsmith and his team for keeping me informed and for pursuing the issue.