Water supply has finally returned to Gatwick Airport after a day-long outage that left passengers with no toilets or running water and forced the closure of cafes, bars and restaurants.
The region’s supplier SES Water first reported problems on Sunday morning, July 26, affecting postcodes TN8, TN11 and parts of RH1, which includes Gatwick. SES said the complications were caused by a power outage at its Bough Beech Water Treatment Works, which took several hours to fix.
Impact on passengers
During the outage, the airport had no running water, leaving toilets out of action and forcing the closure of eateries, which placed extra strain on seating. One frustrated passenger on X said: “There’s no been a single sign of anyone handing out bottled water. I’m at the airport right now and am told the water works before security - why were we not told that the final toilets would be before security?”
Another added: “I’ve been at Gatwick since 11am and only now at 12.39pm has the airport announced that there is a problem with the water. They are definitely not handing out water...”
On Facebook, one user posted: “Gasping for a drink & crossing my legs right now. This is ridiculous! Gatwick airport has shut all restaurants and most toilets due to a water outage. Not a great start to the holiday.”
Former MP and recently appointed Government “music champion” Michael Dugher wrote on social media: “At least allow people to use the chairs in all the closed restaurants and bars. No water is one thing, but depriving people of somewhere to sit is another… families are having to sit on the floor…”
Restoration of services
In a message on X at 7.14pm, Gatwick Airport stated: “We recognise the inconvenience caused by today’s water shortage, following an issue at the Bough Beech Water Treatment Works that has impacted the local area.
“Since becoming aware of the issue, we have been working closely with SES Water and our airport partners to help minimise the impact.
“We are pleased to report that water pressure is beginning to return to normal, and our teams are working hard to reopen toilets and other facilities as quickly and safely as possible. Additional staff have been deployed across both terminals to support passengers and maintain operations.
“We thank passengers for their patience and understanding and will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.”
