Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport, suffered a major water supply outage on Sunday, July 26, 2026. The disruption was caused by a power failure at the Bough Beech Water Treatment Works, which supplies water to the airport and surrounding areas in Kent, Surrey, and West Sussex. This incident left both terminals without running water, impacting numerous facilities and creating significant inconvenience for passengers.
The outage resulted in the closure of many restaurants and bars, with only outlets selling packaged food, like Pret and Itsu, remaining open. Toilets were largely out of order, with many taps and flushes not working, leading to long queues and hygiene concerns. Passengers reported being unable to wash their hands and experiencing a "pretty grubby" situation. Airport staff distributed bottled water, and additional teams were deployed to assist travelers. EasyJet temporarily altered bag drop desk opening times due to the issue, though no flight cancellations were officially attributed to the water shortage.
SES Water, the utility company responsible, confirmed the power outage at its treatment works and acknowledged the widespread impact on customers, including those in TN8, TN11, RH1, RH6, and RH10 postcodes. They stated that while the power was restored, it would take time for the network to normalize due to the "highly unusual and complex issue." By Sunday night, Gatwick reported that water was returning to the "vast majority" of the campus, and by Monday morning, full water supply was restored, with all facilities operating as normal.
Travel expert Lisa Francesca Nand described the event as "unprecedented" for the airport, suggesting that such water supply problems might become more common in the South East and require inclusion in emergency planning. This incident follows a similar, albeit smaller, water issue in July 2022, when a burst water main caused low pressure and closed some airport toilet facilities. Despite the significant operational challenges, Gatwick Airport managed to avoid widespread flight cancellations, though some flights experienced delays due to landing slot adjustments to manage incoming traffic.
