‘Our sandwiches were floating’: Cafe owner recalls horror of Hornsey Road flooding

Sami Gumus inside his recently flooded cafe. Photograph: Julia Gregory

“It took just three minutes to destroy my cafe,” said entrepreneur Sami Gumus of the recent flooding caused by a burst main on Hornsey Road.

Staff at Broccoli were getting ready to open up when a wall of water gushed in.

Gumus was alerted by the unusual behaviour of a motorist on the busy road outside after the pipe burst on the morning of Monday 8 August.

“We were setting out tables when I saw the first water,” he said. “I saw a car stop when there was no traffic and then it started reversing.

“I went inside and shut the door. The water started rising. Our sandwiches were floating on the water.”

Water swept through, damaging wooden flooring put down before the cafe opened in January 2020 – just two months before the pandemic.

The water level came to about three feet, and staff member Halil recalled his concerns when electric wires started sparking in the kitchen.

His boss Sami said: “This is my livelihood, this is my children’s future. It’s my first business and we put our wedding gifts into it to give us a little head start. We have tried to build a customer base.”

He plans to rebuild and said he was thankful that no-one in the community was hurt.

Specialist flood assessment and cleaning companies are now working with businesses and residents to help deal with the damage.

Loss adjustment experts working for Thames Water have also been visiting companies and homes and have been at Emmanuel Church, which was used as an emergency centre for residents.

Thames Water said it is working with at least 70 affected properties and it has put some people up in hotels because of the impact on their homes.

It said staff have contacted most affected residents and businesses and urged anyone they have not been able to reach to get in touch.

Repairs are continuing at the Sobell Centre. Photograph: Julia Gregory

The company apologised for what happened and a spokeswoman said: “We realise that it has had a significant impact on residents in the area, and we are working hard with all stakeholders, especially local residents, to support them in their time of need.”

Near Broccoli, quick-thinking residents Yolanda and Micklós spent four hours scooping up flood water.

Yolanda was at home alone when water lapped around the door and recalled searching on the internet for tips on making flood barriers.

“We were building a dam out of sheets under the door,” they said, and also bought sandbags from a DIY store.

“We were scooping water into a dustpan and we emptied at least 25 buckets of water.”

Once the floodwater had abated, the pair spotted neighbours drying possessions outside in the hot summer sun.

One mother recalled how firefighters carried her two young children from the Harvist estate to the nearby Tollington pub for respite, where landlord Steven Walker said he woke up early and spotted the flood water “and the sound of a river”.

The mother said: “The water was just below my knee. It was cold as well. As soon as they turned off the water it was like someone pulled the plug out of the bath. It just went away. You would not have thought anything had happened.”

She said there is some water damage to carpets and flooring at the entrance to her flat.

Islington Council leader Kaya Comer-Schwartz told Thames Water she wants to see it working to prevent similar leaks.

She said the flood has left some residents and businesses facing “lasting damage”.

As the clear-up at the Sobell leisure centre after the “severe impact” of the flood continues, Cllr Comer-Schwartz said part of it may be shut for a “significant period of time”.

She said this was disappointing as the council’s busiest leisure centre was offering lots of activities for families during this hot summer holiday.