A bicycle company has received 55 bikes salvaged from flats flooded by a burst water main.

The bikes were recovered from the basement of a block of flats flooded by a burst water main in Lea Bridge Road in Hackney in October.

They were donated to cycle company Bikeworks in Cambridge Heath in Newham by Thames Water at Olympic Park after being written off by the water company's insurers.

The original owners were given money to buy replacements and their old bikes are set to be refurbished or used for parts by the social enterprise Bikeworks which supports the homeless and low income families.

The bikes were presented to its volunteers by representatives from Thames Water and its loss adjusters Sedgewick International.

Salman Keceli, from Thames Water’s operations team, said: “We’re working hard to be a more sustainable business by reducing waste so we were very happy to hand over the bikes.

"By donating them to Bikeworks we’re not only preventing them going to landfill but also supporting a good cause which serves the very community that was disrupted when our pipe burst last year.

“If the bikes help more people to cycle, which has big health benefits and also keeps cars off London’s congested roads, then it’s a great outcome.”

Jim Blakemore from Bikeworks said: “So many bikes end up in landfill sites but here at Bikeworks we can ensure that all of those donated to us will either find new homes as complete bikes, or as parts that can be reused and recycled.”

Hackney’s branch of the Salvation Army also received a donation as a result of last year’s burst pipe.

Food stock from a convenience store, such as tinned goods, biscuits, cereal, crisps and spices, which were set to go out of date, were donated to help fill food parcels while repairs continued.

Some of the food was also used at a youth drop-in session.

The store owner was reimbursed for the cost of the stock as part of his insurance package.

Ruth Gray from the Salvation Army said: “The kind donation is mostly being used in the Lea Bridge Ward. It has made a massive difference to what we have been able to do to support the community.”

Thames Water has pledged to spend £2.1 billion on increasing resilience and reducing leakage by 15 per cent by 2025 as part of its £11.7 billion business plan for 2020 to 2025.

Around 1,500 leaks on average are fixed every week which is a 10-year high for the company.