600 South Woodford homes still without water after Thames Water pipe bursts
Thames Water missed its Friday restoration target as trapped air delays repairs in parts of Redbridge and Essex
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Six hundred households in South Woodford are still without running water six days after a series of pipe bursts cut supplies to about 10,000 homes in east London and Essex. Thames Water had promised full restoration by Friday 19 July, but trapped air in the network has delayed repairs.
Councillor criticises response
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Redbridge councillor Jo Blackman, cabinet member for environment and neighbourhoods, told BBC Radio London that Thames Water’s communication had been "less than ideal". She said the company had not opened enough bottled water distribution sites, causing "really serious congestion" at the few that were available.
Blackman added that the lack of water during the current heatwave was "really hard" for residents. In response, Redbridge Council opened its leisure centres to the public for showers. The council confirmed this decision on 22 July, as reported by the BBC.
Thames Water’s explanation
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A Thames Water spokesperson said the "vast majority" of affected customers now have water, but some areas remain without supply due to trapped air in the pipes. The company stated that restoring full pressure across the network would take time because of the size of the affected area.
The network will take some time to fully recover, as owing to the size of the area it will take time for the pressure to fully recover.
Thames Water spokesperson
Thames Water apologised for the disruption and said it had provided regular updates on its website, including repair progress and locations of bottled water stations. The company also said it had delivered bottled water to customers on its Priority Services Register "where needed".
What happens next
Thames Water said it would review the incident once resolved to identify the cause and improve the resilience of the local network. The company urged residents in blocks of flats to contact their managing agents to reset internal pumps if water supply issues continue.
Questions this report answers
+How many homes are still without water in South Woodford?
As of 22 July, 600 homes in South Woodford remain without water after Thames Water’s pipe bursts last weekend. The company had initially promised full restoration by Friday 19 July but blamed trapped air for the delays.
+What is Thames Water doing to fix the water supply?
Thames Water says its teams are working to clear trapped air from pipes, which is delaying full pressure recovery. The company has provided bottled water to priority customers and posted updates on its website about repair progress.
+Why did Redbridge Council open leisure centres during the outage?
Redbridge Council opened its leisure centres for showers after criticising Thames Water’s bottled water distribution as inadequate. Councillor Jo Blackman said the lack of water during the heatwave was particularly difficult for residents.
+What should residents in flats do if they still have no water?
Thames Water advises residents in blocks of flats to contact their managing agents to reset internal pumps if water supply issues persist. The company says trapped air in the network may affect pressure in some buildings.
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