People woke up in north London to discover their road had been transformed into a fast flowing river.

Residents needed to be evacuated after the large water main burst with 12 fire engines and 80 firefighters sent to the scene in Finsbury Park, north London.

Roads were submerged in fast flowing ankle deep brown water … but Thames Water said it was complex to fix quickly which meant the water remained a flooding threat for a few hours.

Resident Matthew Christian told PA: “It’s really shocking to see that amount of water flooding the streets with such power that it’s ripping up the road and rushing down the street into people’s front gardens.

“It’s not the kind of thing you expect to see in Finsbury Park on a Tuesday morning in October.”

The incident shows that flooding can happen anywhere and at anytime.

Homeowners and businesses often don’t realise that councils have no responsibility to provide sandbags if flooding is expected. They must protect themselves and one way to do this is to have FloodSax alternative sandbags which are space-saving to store and easy to deploy. It means you have peace of mind and are ready for action 24/7 to prevent a flood.

Once FloodSax come into contact with water they inflate to weigh 20kg (44lbs) which makes them more effective than traditional sandbags at keeping floodwater out.

More than 2.5 million have now been sold worldwide.