A major road in London has been closed after homes were flooded with filthy water as a result of a burst main.
A series of pictures and videos were posted on Twitter showing the murky deluge flowing down Clapham Road in south London.
There were initial reports that a sewage pipe had sprung a leak, causing a torrent of excrement to cascade down the road.
One policeman at the scene described it as "stinky sewage" and eyewitnesses said the water was seeping into basement flats.
But a Thames Water spokesman later said the flood was a result of a burst water main, which had mixed with silt and mud.
Resident Lewis Whyld, who posted footage online, wrote on Twitter: "People now getting trapped by sewage in south London, firefighters evacuating properties."
In another post, he added: "Expect lower ground floor flats to be full of sewage in south London tonight, it's getting deeper too."
"The road has been made into a river," said 58-year-old resident Angela Reynolds.
"It's not clear how they are going to stop it. The water is revolting, brown, muddy - well I hope it's mud.
"There are lots of basements around here. One of the houses has already been badly flooded. The water just flooded the road in 10 minutes. It was quite incredible."
Marcus Eyskens, 24, who was among the onlookers in Clapham Road, said: "It's blocked all the road. It's a lot of water. It'll probably take a few days to get it under control."
A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: "We received a call reporting flooding in the area. Four fire engines are on the scene and Thames Water are on the way to try and fix the problem. It is very much an ongoing incident."
