Cement has entered a London Underground control room (Picture: Usvsth3m.com)

One of the London Underground’s busiest Tube lines has been shut down after builders poured cement into a signal room.

The main section of the Victoria line was suspended as workers battled to remove a ‘flood’ of fast-setting cement.

The contractors tipped the mixture into an escalator void but it burst through into the room next door.

Up to a foot of concrete began to dry over cables and connectors at Victoria station in London. The mess could take weeks to clear up.


It’s unclear when the Victoria line will be back up (Picture: Usvsth3m.com)

Transport for London announced on their Twitter feed: ‘There’s no service btn Warren Street and Brixton while we fix damage caused by flooding at Victoria. Severe delays on the rest of the line.’



A spokesperson added: ‘This afternoon our contractors were working on the new station in an area next to the Victoria line signal control room.

‘These works involved the use of water and cement which leaked into the room, damaging equipment. This has meant there are no signals working on the southern section of the line.

There's no service btn Warren Street and Brixton while we fix damage caused by flooding at Victoria. Severe delays on the rest of the line. — Victoria line (@victorialine) January 23, 2014

‘The line is currently suspended between Warren Street and Brixton. Our engineers are working hard to resolve the situation as soon as possible to get services back up and running, but the line is expected to be affected for the remainder of the day while repairs are carried out.

‘I am sorry for the delays which will result and I would ask that passengers seek alternative routes on the Northern and Bakerloo line.’

Transport for London initially tried to explain away the incident as flooding before pictures of the damage emerged.

Jerry McLaughlin, a concrete expert, told Metro: ‘I’ve never heard anything like it. I’m very surprised.

‘Any worker worth their salt knows you have to be very careful with these materials. It’s bog standard stuff.’

The cement was meant for an escalator (Picture: UsVsth3m.com)

Quick-drying cement can take up to 24 hours to set but quickly starts to go hard once made, depending on the quantity.

Scarlett McKeown, 27, was one of those affected as she tried to head to Walthamstow Central on the Victoria line.

She told Metro: ‘I had to wait for two trains to pass before I could squeeze on.

‘This was just an act of downright carelessness. It’s very frustrating.’

TfL said no passengers were stuck on trains in between stations and no-one had to be led to safety after the accident.