Thames Water has confirmed that multiple areas of London and other parts of southern England experienced water supply problems on the first night of Britain's third heatwave of the year. Two separate incidents affected the capital, with disruptions reported across north-west and east London.
Heatwave Conditions
The problems emerged as Londoners attempted to sleep through 24°C night-time temperatures, ahead of a predicted high of 33°C on Thursday, July 8. The UK Health Security Agency has issued an amber health alert for heat, which remains in place until 6am on Monday, July 13.
Affected Postcodes
The full list of 17 postcodes affected by Thames Water's outage includes areas in London, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire. In east London, the postcodes are E1, E2, E3, E9, and E16. The north-west London area of NW11 (North Circular) is experiencing low water pressure due to a burst water main.
In Buckinghamshire, the affected postcodes are HP17, HP18, and MK18. In Oxfordshire, the postcodes are OX3, OX5, OX9, OX25, OX26, OX27, and OX33.
Thames Water Statements
Thames Water's alert for east London stated: "We're sorry if your tap water isn't running at the moment. We're aware of an issue in the area that's affecting customers in the East London area. Our specialist team is enroute to the area to investigate the cause of disruption and restore the flow of your water supply."
For north-west London, the notice said: "We're sorry if your tap water isn't running as normal. Due to a burst water main in the area, your water supply is affected. Our teams are on site and working to isolate the leaking pipe. Once this has been carried out, we will begin work to carry out the repair. We will be on site through the night to ensure your supplies are back to normal as soon as possible."
Both notices added: "We know how disruptive it is if you lose your water supply, so we'll work hard to get things back to normal as soon as we can. If you or someone you know needs a little extra support, our free Priority Services Register can help us to understand your situation so we can take it into account as best we can."
Updates and Support
Thames Water said it would provide another update by 8am the next morning. The company continues to monitor the situation closely and urged customers to be patient while they work to restore water supplies.
