Thousand of households in south London may be forced to go four days without running water following a burst pipe.
The problem started on Wednesday as Thames Water started battling to fix a major leak affecting several postcodes around Crystal Palace.
The water company explained it had resolved the issue on Friday morning and it was working hard to do its final checks to fully restore supplies to customers.
However, it warned that some customers may still experience a temporary loss of water during busy periods while others may experience no water overnight, meaning the issue will have impacted some Londoners into Saturday morning.
An update published on Thames Water’s website said: “Our teams and engineers have managed to divert excess water from other areas to bring most customers back into supply, though pressure may be lower than normal, especially in taller buildings and some customers may experience a temporary loss of supply during high demand periods this evening and tomorrow morning.
“Some additional customers may experience no water overnight but we’re working hard to find ways to limit the time you’ll be out of supply.”
Those without water are encouraged to collect bottled water from Sainsbury’s in Southend Lane, Sydenham where Thames Water has set up a bottled water station.
The water company was forced to apologise to people who tried to collect bottled water on Wednesday “as we had to close the site due to a security incident.”
Meanwhile, some affected customers may be waking up to low-pressure and cloudy-looking water coming from the taps.
Thames Water assured customers: “As your water returns, you may notice your water is cloudy or has bubbles in it, this is due to air trapped in the pipes and is still safe to drink.”
The ongoing chaos comes after burst pipes in south London left thousands without running water in postcodes SE19, SE20, SE23, SE26, SE27 & SW16 on Wednesday.
Schools were reportedly forced to close early, while local households were forced to turn to bottled water after taps ran dry.
Frustrated residents took to social media at the time, demanding Thames Water urgently take action to ensure running water was reinstated, as many couldn’t even flush the toilet.
“There is no supply. There is no water at all. We can’t go to the toilet. Will our bills be reduced? Prices have just been raised!” wrote one on social media.
Local MPs have also stepped in, slamming Thames Water for their “unsatisfactory” response.
Ellie Reeves, MP for Lewisham West and East Dulwich, demanded an urgent update after claiming to have received periodic emails from Thames Water staff.
Sharing her letter on social media, Ms Reeves criticised Thames Water for failing to provide a time frame, as well as inadequate bottled water support.
I am very concerned that many of my constituents have been without water all day.
— Ellie Reeves (@elliereeves) February 12, 2025
I have been updated by Thames Water, but I am not satisfied by the responses received.
I have therefore written to the Chief Executive asking for action and answers 👇 pic.twitter.com/EMEBKJF0LG
She added: “The outage comes at a time when you have informed many of my constituents that their water bills will rise significantly. At a time when many people are already struggling, this outage on top of increasing bills is extremely concerning.”
Another resident responded: “Its an absolute joke. Thames havent responsed to chat messages, have been on hold forever about to give up. Hope they will refund drinks.”
Water issues in South London came just weeks after Thames Water said its 16 million customers would see a 31% hike to their annual fees, adding over £200 to bills owed by many struggling London families.
