SuppliedPassengers at Gatwick Airport have faced long queues for toilets and closed restaurants and bars after a major water supply outage.
Both terminals at the UK’s second busiest airport lost running water on Sunday morning after a power failure at a treatment works that serves the area.
People told the BBC of confusion and frustration as all bars and restaurants were shut, some were left with nowhere to sit and waits built up outside toilets.
Gatwick said it was still experiencing disruption and was handing out bottled water, while SES Water, the company that supplies the airport, said the power outage was fixed and water supplies were gradually returning.
A spokesperson had earlier confirmed that Gatwick Airport was affected.
On Sunday afternoon, SES Water said its treatment works were back up and running, but later added it would take time for the network to fully return to normal as it had been “a highly unusual and complex issue”.
“We want to reiterate that our teams are working as quickly as they possibly can and we are grateful for everyone’s patience,” the spokesperson added.
Gatwick apologised and said the supply issue was continuing to cause disruption.
In a statement, it said: “There is currently no water supply in either terminal.
“Our staff are on hand to support passengers and provide assistance where needed, some restaurant partners have opened to provide additional seating.”
Gatwick said additional teams had been deployed across both terminals to support passengers.
The airport added there had been no flight cancellations as a result of the supply issues and that it was working closely with SES Water to minimise the impact.
‘At least provide chairs’
Earlier, passenger Paul Lee told the BBC he had not heard any announcements about the issue or seen bottled water being handed out.
He said: “For people who need to go to the toilet, this isn’t good, and still no announcement or official information – and the water they mentioned isn’t being distributed.
“I’m taking off soon, so that’s fine, but for passengers in a few hours, this will be bad.”
Lee added that restaurants and lounges were shut but shops were open.
Former MP and ex-CEO of UK Music Michael Dugher urged the airport on social media to “at least allow people to use the chairs in all the closed restaurants and bars”.
He said: “No water is one thing but depriving people of somewhere to sit is another… families are having to sit on the floor.”
Roger WoodBBC reporter Adam Dowling, who was flying from Valencia to Gatwick, said his flight had been delayed because of the water supply disruption and passengers had been informed that landing slots were being moved around “to reduce the number of flights” coming in to Gatwick.
The BBC has contacted Gatwick Airport to confirm if there has been any flight disruption.
Roger Wood, from Tunbridge Wells in Kent, said he thought his friends were joking when they told him there were no restaurants or bars open in Gatwick’s south terminal.
When he arrived to meet them ahead of his flight on Sunday, he found “there was no water at all – no Nando’s, no Wetherspoon, all of those places were completely shut and stopping people coming in as there was no fresh water or ability to wash hands”.
Wood told the BBC: “The only place you could buy something was places like Pret and Itsu where it was packaged food, or shops.
“There was a general grumpiness and the usual frustration at not being able to get a drink at a bar from people, but everybody seemed quite resigned.”
Wood said people could go in the toilets but there was no way to wash hands and conditions had grown worse in the hour or two they were there.
Roger WoodMany toilets have been out of order, with taps and flushes not working.
Toilets have only been open if they can draw on emergency water supplies.
A passenger told the BBC there was “a very long queue to the ladies’ toilets and a short queue to the men’s, with no water to wash hands or flush the toilet”, while another said she had been turned away from toilets.
Passenger Sarah Houchin had to wait nearly two-and-a-half hours longer at the airport for her delayed flight to Lefkada in Greece.
“The toilets are either closed or they send you to another toilet and it’s a really long queue, and the toilets are disgusting,” she said.
“As you can imagine, you can smell them.”
Sarah HouchinHouchin said there has been “very little information” from the airport.
“I think people are just fed up because they’ve got a long wait, but everyone understands there’s nothing you can do about it,” she added.
Ian Bubb, who was flying to Alicante in Spain with British Airways, said there had been a “total lack of information” from the airport.
“Absolute disgrace at Gatwick – total lack of contingency planning for such an event,” he said.
The passenger said he had booked a lounge but was not allowed to sit inside.
People heading to the airport for flights have been advised not to arrive early.
A statement from Easyjet said: “Due to a water supply issue affecting London Gatwick Airport, bag drop desks are temporarily opening two hours before departure instead of three hours.”
The airline said: “Please do not arrive earlier, as you will not be able to drop off your bags or enter the departure lounge until bag drop opens.”
SES Water confirmed the Kent postcodes TN8 and TN11 and parts of Surrey postcodes RH1, RH6 and RH10 had no water supply or low pressure. The company said it was delivering bottled water to vulnerable customers.
Gatwick Airport and the local area also suffered water issues in July 2022, when low pressure caused by a burst water main affected 1,200 houses and closed toilet facilities at the airport.
