London Gatwick Airport was left without running water on a busy summer Sunday after a power fault at a regional treatment plant, causing toilets to back up, cafes and restaurants to close and staff to hand out bottled water to travellers.
What happened and where
The problem was first reported early on Sunday morning. Gatwick confirmed at around 11am that a fault had cut the water supply to both its North and South terminals, affecting passenger facilities across the airport.
Local supplier SES Water said the issue stemmed from a power outage that initially shut down the Bough Beech Water Treatment Works, which serves the Horley area where Gatwick is located. Although power was later restored, SES said "a number of complications" prevented water immediately returning to customers.
"We would like to thank customers and our partners at Gatwick Airport for their continued patience, and we are sorry for the inconvenience this is causing."
Immediate impact at the airport
Passengers reported being unable to flush toilets or wash their hands while food and drink concessions pulled down shutters because of the lack of water. Airport staff were seen distributing bottled water to people trying to cope with hot conditions across the South East.
- Toilets in both terminals were affected and some became backed up.
- Restaurants and café concessions closed temporarily due to no running water.
- Staff distributed bottled water to travellers while the supplier worked to restore service.
Timeline
| Time (BST) | Event |
|---|---|
| Around 06:00 | Problems first reported to SES Water |
| c. 11:00 | Gatwick confirms water cut to both terminals |
| After c. 14:00 | SES restarts Bough Beech treatment plant after nearly eight hours |
SES warned that, even after treatment operations resumed, it could take time before customers saw a return to normal pressure and supply.
Why Gatwick matters
Gatwick is the UK’s second-busiest airport and handles large volumes of passengers through a single-runway operation. The airport carried more than 42 million passengers last year and was operating at near capacity, making any service interruption more keenly felt by travellers and staff alike.
While the airport has long-term plans to expand runway capacity by converting a taxiway, the immediate issue here was the resilience of the regional water infrastructure serving a major transport hub.
Practical implications for travellers
Passengers travelling through Gatwick during such incidents may expect:
- Limited or closed food and drink concessions until water returns to premises.
- Reduced toilet availability and possible temporary closure of affected facilities.
- Provision of bottled water by airport staff, but limited handwashing facilities.
Travellers are advised to carry small bottles of water and arrival/departure contingency plans if travelling through major hubs during heat or infrastructure incidents.
What officials have said
SES Water apologised for the disruption and thanked customers and Gatwick for their patience. Gatwick’s confirmation of the outage underlined how airport operations rely on neighbouring utilities and how localised infrastructure failures can ripple through national transport networks.
The treatment works’ temporary shutdown and the subsequent complications underline two wider challenges for transport hubs: dependency on local utilities and the difficulty of maintaining service continuity when those utilities are affected by power faults or other technical failures.
Looking ahead
SES restarted the treatment plant after almost eight hours, but noted it could still be some time before supplies fully normalised. For now, passengers and airport users are left to contend with disrupted facilities while the water company works to rebuild pressure and restore normal flows.
As the capital’s airports run at high utilisation during the summer, this incident is a reminder that even well-trafficked transport hubs remain vulnerable to problems beyond their immediate control.
Reporting from Gatwick and London.
