A power failure at SES Water’s Bough Beech water treatment works caused a water outage affecting London Gatwick Airport and parts of Kent, Surrey, and south London on Sunday, 26 July 2026.
Both terminals at Gatwick lost running water, forcing the closure of restaurants and bars. Toilet access was limited due to closures or emergency water supply, leading to long queues. Some food outlets with packaged meals remained open as airport staff distributed bottled water to passengers.
Official Response to Water Outage
SES Water confirmed power was restored at the Bough Beech plant but stated water treatment was still necessary before normal supply could resume.
A company representative said, “Our Bough Beech water treatment works are back up and running. We now need to treat the water before returning services to normal as quickly as we possibly can.”
Gatwick Airport apologized for the disruption, noting that staff were assisting passengers and that some restaurant partners opened parts of their venues to provide additional seating amid closures. The airport spokesperson stated, “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.”
Passenger Experiences and Criticism
Travelers reported significant inconvenience
due to the outage. Paul Lee said there were no announcements or bottled water distribution despite the lack of toilet facilities. He commented, “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.”
Former MP Michael Dugher criticized the airport for limiting seating availability as families had to sit on the floor. He said, “No water is one thing but depriving people of somewhere to sit is another… families are having to sit on the floor.” Passenger Roger Wood described complete closures
of water-dependent restaurants such as Nando’s and Wetherspoon, with only packaged food outlets remaining open.
Passenger Sarah Houchin, whose flight to Lefkada, Greece was delayed by nearly two and a half hours, described the poor conditions in restrooms during the outage, calling them “disgusting” with long queues and minimal information. Another traveler, Ian Bubb, condemned the airport’s contingency planning, calling it an “absolute disgrace.”
Flight Disruptions and Operational Changes
The water outage affected flight operations at Gatwick. BBC reporter Adam Dowling noted that landing slots were adjusted to reduce the number of flights arriving at the airport. EasyJet changed its bag drop desk opening times
from three hours to two hours before departure, advising passengers not to arrive earlier as they could not drop off bags or access departure lounges until opening.
Delays were reported on routes including a flight to Lefkada, Greece, delayed by nearly two and a half hours. The adjustments aimed to manage passenger flow and airport operations amid the water supply disruption.
Mitigation and Support Efforts
Throughout the disruption, Gatwick staff provided bottled water and support to affected passengers. Some restaurant partners partially reopened venues to offer additional seating despite closed sections. The airport worked closely with SES Water to restore water services as quickly
as possible while managing passenger needs.
