Gatwick Airport water outage halts toilets and fountains

Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport, was plunged into significant disruption on Sunday, July 26, 2026, after a widespread loss of running water affected both of its terminals. The outage left passengers unable to flush toilets, use drinking fountains, or purchase beverages from airport cafes and restaurants, though flight operations were not impacted.

The disruption stems from an issue at the Bough Beech Water Treatment Works operated by SES Water, which serves parts of Surrey, West Sussex, Kent, and south London. The utility company reported that some customers in postcodes TN8, TN11, and parts of RH1 were experiencing low water pressure or a complete loss of supply, with the airport area, including RH6, also affected. SES Water stated it was working to restore normal service and was delivering bottled water to registered vulnerable customers.

Gatwick Airport confirmed the situation in a statement posted on social media just before 11 a.m., attributing the problem to "a water issue in the Horley area." The airport said bottled water was being made available to passengers and staff and that other contingency measures were being implemented to ensure welfare. It...