A major mains water outage occurred at London Gatwick Airport on Sunday, July 26, 2026, forcing the closure of toilets and restaurants and disrupting flight operations. Multiple airport services were suspended as a result.
Cause of Water Outage
The outage was caused by a power failure at Bough Beech Water Treatment Works, which supplies water to Gatwick Airport and neighboring regions. This power outage led to a cessation of mains water supply to the airport and surrounding areas.
Restoration of Services
Water supply was fully restored at Gatwick Airport by Monday morning, July 27, 2026. At that time, all toilet facilities and food and beverage outlets reopened,
allowing the airport to resume normal operations.
Passenger Impact and Consumer Advice
During the outage, toilets and restaurants at Gatwick Airport were closed, and flight operations experienced delays and interruptions. Passengers lost access to prepaid services including meals, lounges, showers, and treatments that could not operate without water.
Consumer expert Vix Leyton from thinkmoney advised passengers affected to keep receipts for reasonable extra costs, document disruptions with photos or screenshots, and complain directly to the airport to increase chances of refunds.
Refunds and Compensation Guidance
Ms. Leyton said passengers who paid for services not delivered should first request refunds. If refused, credit card users can ask banks for chargebacks.
Purchases between £100 and £30,000 may benefit from Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, though many airport purchases fall below that amount.
She explained flight delay compensation rules rarely cover missed flights when airlines are not at fault. Passengers must demonstrate fault, foreseeability of loss, and reasonable steps taken to reach flights. Keeping documentation and staff contacts is important as responsibility is often disputed in major airport infrastructure failures.
Official Statements
Gatwick Airport confirmed that all toilets and food outlets were operational by Monday morning, July 27. SES Water, the airport’s supplier, apologized for the disruption and thanked customers for
their patience during restoration.
