About 300 residents were evacuated from their homes in the early hours of September 29, after a car crashed into roadworks causing a gas pipe to burst on Mitcham Road, Croydon.

A 59-year-old man has been charged for drink driving and driving without due care and attention. He is due to appear at Croydon Magistrates Court on Monday October 14.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said that “enquiries are ongoing.”

No injuries have been reported, however, one man was taken to hospital by the London Ambulance Service.

The fire brigade was called at 1:17 am, with 22 firefighters from Croydon, Lewisham, and Euston stations attending the scene.

A spokesperson for London Fire Brigade said: “A 100-metre cordon was put in place and the road remained closed until Sunday lunchtime.”

Croydon Council said residents were provided with hot drinks and taken to a centre to keep them safe and warm.

Local resident Carolyn Lipczynski – who had her six-year-old daughter with her – told Eastlondonlines that she had received no such treatment.

Lipczynski said residents had to evacuate from two different roads. Those on Moyes Close had to wait outside, “sitting on the freezing cold floor” as the council only provided transport, shelter and hot drinks to those waiting on Wingate Crescent.

After two hours, the police reportedly arrived with blankets from a nearby A&E.

“At 6:30 am we were still on the freezing cold floor, with no food, no water, nothing.”

“Close to where we were sat must have been having some building work done as there were little squares of polystyrene. My husband went and got some, just so we could sit on it. But it was wet.”

“By around 7am the police were finally calling out the different house numbers, telling us who was able to safely re-enter their homes. Some people who lived just a few doors down from us still weren’t allowed into their house, so I said they could come into ours,” Lipczynski said.

“I want answers. I want to ask why the council are lying. Because they didn’t provide us with the shelter. They didn’t provide us with warmth. They didn’t provide us with a hot drink and food and transport to take us here there and everywhere.”

Lipczynski said she did not want to fault the police as “they were amazing” and only “telling us what the council were telling them.”

Eastlondonlines contacted Croydon Council for comment. They responded: “We worked closely with our partners at the Metropolitan Police and London Fire Brigade following a road traffic incident and gas leak in Mitcham Road, as they cordoned off part of the road and made the area safe.

“The council responded to the emergency and set up a rest centre for those affected. About 19 people made use of the rest centre and were provided with food and shelter until they could safely return to their homes. We provided transport to and from the rest centre and supported vulnerable residents with their individual needs.”

SGN (Scotia Gas Networks) has announced that repair work has since been completed alongside safety checks.

Dan Brown, a spokesperson for SGN, said: “We responded to a gas leak in Mitcham Road after our medium pressure main was damaged.

“Our engineers have been working to upgrade our gas network at this location. The vehicle drove into this work area and collided with our pipe.

“The affected pipe was cut and repaired on Sunday morning before safety checks were carried out in the vicinity.

“The network upgrade project has resumed as normal.”