New Westminster leak inquiry as 'deluge' of water bursts through roof

New Westminster leak inquiry! Moment ‘huge deluge’ of water bursts through the glass roof of Parliamentary building forcing MPs and their staff to scatter

• Pane of glass broke in the atrium roof of Parliament’s Portcullis House
• Houses MPs’ offices, with a central courtyard covered by a glass roof

MPs and their staff were forced to flee today as a ‘huge deluge’ of water broke through the glass roof of a Westminster building.

A witness said there had been a big bang followed by a flood of after a pane of glass broke in the atrium roof of Parliament’s Portcullis House.

The building is part of the parliamentary estate, and houses MPs’ offices, with a central courtyard covered by a glass roof.

The area is used by MPs, their staff and journalists for meetings, and also has a canteen and cafe.

A cordon and warning signs were placed around the area below the broken pane by parliamentary staff.

A large puddle and a piece of broken glass could be seen on the floor in the middle of the area, which had been cleared of people. A frayed metal wire could also be seen dangling from the ceiling.

The scene was captured on film by Good Morning Britain’s head of politics Anne Alexander, who said: ‘It was so heavy and loud, I initially thought it was shattered glass.’

The building is part of the parliamentary estate, and houses MPs’ offices, with a central courtyard covered by a glass roof.

The area (pictured before the trees were removed earlier this year) is used by MPs, their staff and journalists for meetings, and also has a canteen and cafe.

Mervyn Thomas, a researcher for the Bishop of Guildford who was present when the incident took place, said: ‘I was just sitting here and I just suddenly heard this huge bang and then a flood of water.’

Mr Thomas added: ‘A huge deluge, it was a big bang. I didn’t know what it was, and then it carried on, it slowly went down to a trickle eventually.’

He said he did not think anyone had been hurt, and told PA: ‘I saw people scattering but I don’t know if anybody was soaked through or not. I should imagine they were… in fact I was going to go sit over there, I chose not to fortunately.’

The witness said parliamentary authorities had cleared the area of people ‘within minutes’.

‘There were people there within minutes clearing the chairs back, but the actual barriers were (in place), I guess, within five minutes,’ he said.

Parliamentary staff could be seen urging people gathered in Portcullis House to move further back from the cordoned area.

A House of Commons spokesman said: ‘Teams are currently attending to an issue with the atrium roof in Portcullis House.

‘The central part of the atrium has been cordoned off, with additional safety mitigations implemented to allow us to continue our investigations.

‘Committee meetings are still scheduled to take place, with amended access routes. Catering facilities remain open.’

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