Thames Water problems: No water for thousands in London but supply set to return 'within hours'

Isobel Frodsham5 March 2018

Thousands of Londoners who were left without water for more than 36 hours after frozen pipes thawed and burst in the aftermath of Storm Emma were expected to have their supply return today.

Around 12,000 homes across the capital were left entirely without water over the weekend, while thousands more reported low pressure due to ruptured mains.

The chaos, which suppliers say was caused by a sudden change in temperature, came as Thames Water pleaded with residents to use “as little water as possible” as they “get things back to normal.”

Thames Water said this morning that a large leak had been fixed and they were expecting water to begin to return over the next few hours, however people who live above ground floor level may have to wait longer.

Residents were being given water from this station on Hampstead Heath this morning
Jeremy Selwyn

Last night, residents reported that several shops, including in West Norwood, Forest Hill and Tulse Hill, had sold out of bottled water, as local scrambled to stock-pile for the day ahead.

Meanwhile, schools in south London - which was particularly hard hit - were forced to announce last-minute closures due to the shortage, including in Streatham and Balham.

Cressida Burnet, a family lawyer who lives near Wandsworth Common, said last night that she had been without water for 24 hours.

A north London resident collects a supply of water after pipes stopped working
Jeremy Selwyn

She told the Standard: “It is unacceptable in this day and age. We had a low pressure yesterday and today no water at all.

“The way that I found out what was going on was through Twitter. I’ve been tweeting Thames Water and sending the responses to my friends who haven’t got Twitter.”

Last night, Thames Water set up two bottled water stations at Hampstead No 1 Pond car park, East Heath Road and Homebase, in Streatham Vale.

Ms Burnet added: “Our nearest water collection point is in Streatham, which is quite a long way away for people. What if you were disabled and not able to get there?”

Elle Sarno, a surveyor who lives in Southgate, north London, said this was the fifth time in a year she had troubles with her water supplier, Affinity Water.

“It’s not good enough,” she said. “I pay £90 a month for water and this keeps happening. We’ve had no water for 24 hours. I have quite an old boiler anyway and we’re freezing. They’re not letting us know anything at all.”

Ms Sarno, who has three children aged 14, 18 and 23, said that one of her sons was unable to wash after playing football and has been covered in mud for hours as a result.

Tooting resident Roger Barnett, 46, said he was concerned about his health because he could not take his stroke medication without running water.

Hundreds of people also complained on social media, claiming they were not receiving information or updates from their suppliers.

One wrote: “I have a seven week old baby and all shops nearby have now ran out of bottled water. Need an idea of what is happening please.”

Another said: “Absolutely disastrous after just a few days of cold weather. This is ridiculous.”

Helen Hayes, the Labour MP for West Norwood and Dulwich, added that the situation was “just not acceptable”.

Labour MP for Tottenham David Lammy wrote: “No water in N4 Finsbury Park area in Haringey. Lots of my constituents without water.”

In a joint statement from Thames Water, South East Water, Southern Water and Affinity Water, the suppliers urged customers to take short showers rather than baths, not leave taps running unnecessarily and only run washing machines and dishwashers when they are fully loaded.

They added: “We’ve seen an increase in leaks and bursts on our network, which we are urgently dealing with as fast as we possibly can.

"But the sudden and widespread surge in demand, coinciding with the rise in temperatures, means we also need to urge all our customers to check their own pipes for bursts and call a plumber if necessary.

“Right now we really need our customers’ support and understanding to help us to get everyone back into supply quickly by avoiding non-essential uses of water.”

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