London Gatwick Airport is experiencing a major water outage, leaving both terminals without running water. Toilets cannot be flushed and drinking fountains are dry, while bars and cafes are unable to make drinks.
Water Supply Disruption
In a statement on Sunday, Gatwick Airport said: "A water issue in the Horley area is causing disruption at the airport this morning. The problem is affecting water supply in both terminals and is currently under investigation." The airport added that bottled water is being made available to passengers and staff, and other contingency measures are being put in place. Flights have not yet been impacted.
SES Water Response
SES Water, which supplies water to parts of Surrey, West Sussex, Kent and south London, reported that customers in postcodes TN8, TN11 and parts of RH1 were experiencing low water pressure or a complete loss of supply. The company attributed the problem to an issue at its Bough Beech Water Treatment Works. Bottled water is being delivered to priority customers while engineers work to fix the supply.
Heatwave and Drought Context
The outage comes as the UK faces a potential fourth heatwave, with wildfires affecting parts of the country. No rain fell in July in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and West Sussex, and 16 counties recorded just 0.1mm of rain. The Met Office's senior operational meteorologist Marco Petagna said that amount “might just be a bit of dew on the grass”. The UK has received only 20% of its average July rainfall. Petagna described the prolonged hot and dry spell as “very, very unusual”.
The dry conditions follow last year's drought summer, with extreme weather linked to human-caused climate change from burning fossil fuels. Heat alerts are in place across parts of England, with officials warning temperatures could impact health and wellbeing.
