People have been evacuated from their homes and parts of west London have been left without water after a burst main submerged a street in Hammersmith.

Firefighters were using boats to rescue people trapped in cars and restaurants on King Street near Ravenscourt Park tube station in the early hours of Saturday morning, with nearly a foot of standing water in some areas.

London fire brigade said seven fire engines and 49 firefighters were attending the incident, which was expected to go on for at least four hours.

Thames Water said the burst pipe could leave large parts of west London without water.

Our engineers are onsite (and more on there way) at the mains burst in King Street #Hammersmith We are sorry, and working to resolve the situation as quickly as we can. We are aware some customers are without water or have low pressure. We will post updates as we have them. — Thames Water (@thameswater) January 26, 2018

At the end of my road in #Hammersmith just now: a boat! pic.twitter.com/HMqTclXQZR — Julian Eccles (@julianeccles) January 26, 2018

Fire station manager Paul Fitzgerald, who was at the scene, said: “Seven people have been evacuated from properties. Fire crews are using boats to assist people who need to leave their homes. Sandbags are also being provided to help stop water from entering buildings.

“Crews are continuing to pump water away and Thames Water is at the scene investigating.

“We advise people to avoid the area if they can, as a number of road closures are in place and Ravenscourt Park tube station is closed.”