Thames Water Pipe Burst Leaves Thousands Without Water, Forces School Closures

A significant burst water main in Molesey, Surrey, has caused widespread disruption, leaving thousands of homes without water and forcing multiple schools to close their doors.

The incident, which began leaking approximately 750 liters of water per second, affected up to 15,000 properties across London and Surrey, with residents reporting no water supply or low pressure.

Several educational institutions, including Esher Sixth Form College, The Holy Cross School, Thames Ditton Infant School, and Long Ditton Infant and Nursery School, announced closures for the day due to the disruption.

Neilson Recreation Ground in southwest London experienced flooding as a result of the burst pipe near the Island Barn Reservoir. Residents also reported depleted shelves in supermarkets as people rushed to buy bottled water. Thames Water announced plans to open a bottled water station in Molesey for affected residents.

By Monday evening, Thames Water reported that the number of affected properties had decreased to approximately 6,000, with engineers working to repair the leak.

Thames Water issued an apology for the disruption and stated that its engineers were on-site to fix the issue. The company also mentioned that water was being rerouted to minimize the impact on customers and that deliveries were being made to those on its priority services register. Updates on the repair progress and the opening of bottled water stations were promised.

The incident has drawn criticism from local officials and highlighted ongoing concerns about the state of the UK's water infrastructure. Monica Harding, MP for Esher and Walton, called for an urgent response from Thames Water to restore supplies and investigate the cause, expressing worry about the potential impact of decades of underinvestment.

Sir Ed Davey, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, pointed to the incident as further evidence of Thames Water's failures, citing the company's high rate of water loss due to leaks and the significant portion of customer bills that go towards servicing debt rather than infrastructure improvements.

Thames Water, Britain's largest water company, serves approximately 3.9 million customers and faces significant debt. The company reportedly loses an average of 569 million liters of water per day across its network due to leaks, though this figure has decreased from ten years prior. A hosepipe ban remains in effect for many of its customers.