Water supplies are gradually being restored to Gatwick Airport and thousands of homes across Surrey, Kent and Sussex after a major outage caused widespread disruption throughout the day. SES Water confirmed on Sunday evening that supplies are beginning to return following what it described as a “highly unusual and complex issue”, but warned it will take time before the network fully returns to normal. The disruption affected customers across TN8, TN11 and parts of RH1, while Gatwick Airport confirmed that water supplies to both terminals had been impacted.
Supplies Gradually Returning
In an update issued at 6pm, SES Water said engineers had made significant progress in restoring the network. A spokesperson for the company said: “Supplies are gradually returning for impacted customers including Gatwick Airport – it will take time for the network to fully return to normal as this has been a highly unusual and complex issue. “We want to reiterate that our teams are working as quickly as they possibly can and we are grateful for everyone’s patience.”
Power Outage Triggered Major Disruption
The latest update follows confirmation that the Bough Beech Water Treatment Works had been brought back into operation after engineers resolved complications caused by a power outage. The failure led to a significant loss of water supplies across parts of Kent, Surrey and Sussex, with thousands of customers affected. At Gatwick Airport, contingency plans were activated as water supplies to both the North and South Terminals were disrupted. Airport staff distributed bottled water to passengers while working closely with SES Water to minimise disruption to travellers.
Low Pressure May Continue
Although supplies are now returning, SES Water has warned some customers may continue to experience low water pressure or intermittent supplies while the network is gradually re-pressurised. Engineers remain on site monitoring the system as normal service is restored. The company has thanked customers, businesses and its partners at Gatwick Airport for their patience while work continues to return the water network to full operation.
Originally published by UKNIP.
