Schools shut and residents queue for water as Thames Water leak hits south London

• A major burst water main has disrupted supplies across south London and Surrey.
• Some schools have closed because of the outage.
• Thames Water says repairs could take time.

Homes across five south London boroughs and two Surrey areas have been left without water or facing low pressure after a large burst water main disrupted supplies.

Thames Water said on Monday (28) that it was dealing with an issue affecting customers in parts of Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton and Wandsworth, as well as Elmbridge and Spelthorne in Surrey.

The affected postcodes include CR4, KT1, KT10, KT12, KT2, KT3, KT5, KT6, KT7, KT8, SM4, SW16, SW17, SW18, SW19, SW20, TW10 and TW16.

The disruption has already spilled into daily life, with some schools forced to close. Long Ditton Infant and Nursery School and Thames Ditton Infant School were among those affected after the problem was reported early on Monday.

Bottled water queues grow

Residents have also been turning to supermarkets for supplies. Councillor Steve Bax, who represents Molesey on Surrey County Council, shared images showing queues for bottled water outside a Tesco store, with supplies reportedly being rationed.

Local businesses have also stepped in to help. Mobile valeting and car detailing company Wright Shine said it would pause its normal work and make water from its tank available to elderly and vulnerable residents for washing and toilet use.

Thames Water said its engineers had located the leak and were working to restore supplies.

“We're dealing with a large burst water main which is affecting the water supply to the wider area,” the company said.

It said a specialist team was on site and that water had been rerouted around the affected area. Customers in Surbiton were expected to begin seeing supplies return, although pressure could initially be lower than normal.

The company warned that the location of the burst meant the repair was likely to take some time.

Thames Water apologised to affected customers and said it was working to restore normal supplies as quickly as possible.

The company says it will provide portable water during emergency supply interruptions, while customers can check its active incidents information for updates.

The latest disruption comes as Thames Water continues to deal with leakage and ageing infrastructure across its network. The company said last month that prolonged dry weather, high demand and exceptionally dry ground conditions were increasing the likelihood of leaks and bursts.