Gatwick Airport has been hit by another major water-supply problem, leaving some toilets unable to flush and affecting restaurants during one of the busiest periods of the summer travel season.
The disruption on Friday, 28 August was caused by a burst water main in the Horley area close to the airport.
SES Water confirmed that customers in the RH6 area experienced either no water or low water pressure, with Gatwick Airport among the locations affected.
Both the North and South terminals experienced problems with their water supply.
Some toilets in the North Terminal were closed because they could not flush, while passengers also reported difficulties accessing running water.
The majority of toilets in the South Terminal remained unaffected.
Restaurants in the North Terminal were also affected, with some unable to serve food while passengers could continue using seating areas.
Despite the problems inside the terminals, Gatwick Airport said there was no impact on flights.
For passengers travelling to or from Gatwick and other airports across Britain, DM Airport Transfers provides pre-booked airport transfers and long-distance travel throughout the UK.
SES Water said engineers located the burst main and worked to restore supplies by re-routing water through other parts of its network.
By 5.10pm on Friday, the company confirmed that supplies had been restored to customers in Horley and Gatwick Airport.
Repair teams remained at the site of the burst main after supplies returned.
The incident is particularly notable because Gatwick experienced another significant water outage only a month earlier.
During the July incident, a power failure at SES Water’s Bough Beech Water Treatment Works disrupted supplies to the airport and surrounding areas.
That outage resulted in widespread toilet closures and forced restaurants and bars to close, while bottled water was distributed to passengers.
Flights continued operating during that incident as well.
Friday’s outage was therefore a separate event rather than a continuation of the July failure.
The earlier incident originated at the water treatment works, whereas the latest disruption was caused by a burst main affecting the Horley area and the airport.
Two significant water-supply incidents in such a short period will nevertheless raise questions about the resilience of infrastructure serving one of Britain’s busiest airports.
Gatwick handles tens of millions of passengers each year, meaning even an outage that does not stop aircraft operating can create substantial problems inside its terminals.
Working toilets, hand-washing facilities, restaurants and drinking-water supplies are particularly important when thousands of passengers can be inside terminal buildings at the same time.
SES Water apologised for the disruption and said teams had worked to restore supplies as quickly as possible.
With water now restored, passengers travelling through Gatwick should find conditions returning to normal, although individual facilities may require additional time to fully reopen following the outage.
Thanks for visiting DM News! If you’ve got a question, a story tip, or anything you’d like to share, head over to DriverMatty.com — I love to hear from you. While you’re there, don’t forget to check out my other websites and social media channels.
Sources
ITV News Meridian – Gatwick Airport Hit by Another Water Outage
SES Water – Horley RH6 and Gatwick Airport Water Supply Updates
