I am seriously concerned about the flooding we’ve seen in the constituency recently, particularly the huge flooding around Belsize Road last month damaged dozens of homes and left many of my constituents without water supply.

Several smaller leaks were also reported in Kilburn, West Hampstead and Brondesbury Park, which again caused severe disruption and left many without water for days the week before Christmas.

I have been doing everything I can to support residents who have been impacted by these awful leaks and push Thames Water for urgent action to resolve the problems and provide support for those affected. 

Shockingly, many constituents got in touch with my office to say that they had been unable to get through to Thames Water on the phone. This is simply unacceptable and raises serious concerns about our infrastructure in Hampstead and Kilburn.

Ham & High: MP Tulip Siddiq is pushing Thames Water to resolve problems causing floods (Image: PA)MP Tulip Siddiq is pushing Thames Water to resolve problems causing floods (Image: PA) (Image: PA)

Thames Water has admitted to losing more than 600 million litres of water a day due to leaks. This is almost a quarter of all the water it supplies, and they are not alone: according to Ofwat, water companies are losing over a trillion litres of water a year through leaking pipes.

As these leaks become more frequent, it is clear that they are a symptom of a bigger problem: our broken water system.

As water companies give away huge dividends to their shareholders, they neglect to invest in infrastructure, and it is ordinary households that have to face the consequences.

My Labour colleagues and I are pushing for the Government to fix this system by introducing greater powers to hold water companies accountable with tougher laws, fines and greater parliamentary scrutiny of what the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Ofwat and the Environment Agency are doing to address problems of leakages and unreliable water supplies.

We must also hold water bosses to account by putting in clear legal requirements to address these problems and ensuring that hard-earned money paid to water companies is directed to investment in our creaking network.

Until we are able to deliver a government that takes its duty of care to the people of this country and the public infrastructures we rely on seriously, I will continue to hold ministers and Thames Water accountable for the distress and disturbance caused to so many of my constituents.

In the meantime, I await the outcome of investigations into the recent disasters and the lessons that can be learnt.

Tulip Siddiq is the Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn.