More than 50,000 homes left without water in Hampshire supply outage
Some customers will start to be reconnected later today, the water firm said, but others face waiting until the weekend
Around 58,000 homes across Hampshire have been hit by a water outage following a “technical issue” at a Southern Water supply works.
Homes in Southampton, Romsey, Eastleigh, Totton, and parts of the New Forest have experienced a loss of water or low pressures.
Problems with the water supply began on Wednesday morning after Southern Water issued an update confirming there was a technical issue at the Testwood water supply works preventing water from leaving the site.
The water firm apologised to impacted customers and said on Thursday morning it had worked through the night to fix the issue.
“Overnight our teams have fixed the problem at the Testwood Water Supply Works and restarted the site. We’re now filling up the reservoir again with drinking water, ready to restore supply. This is a gradual process which must be done carefully and safely, but customers will start to be reconnected later today,” Southern Water said.
Some homes will see their water supplies restored on Thursday, but for others the issue might continue until the weekend, the firm warned customers.
It comes as households in England and Wales are set to see their water bills rise by 36 per cent by 2030.
The increase means bills will go up by around £31 a year over the next five years, with average bills to rise to £588 by 2030, up from current levels of £436, regulator Ofwat said.
Jill Woolger, 66, from Dibden Purlieu near the New Forest, has been without water since Wednesday morning and said she only has around a litre of bottled water left to last her for one evening.
The retired nurse, who lives with an autoimmune condition, is registered on the firm’s priority list and was told she could expect bottled water to be delivered to her home by 7pm, but claims she did not receive any.
She said: “I think what I’m so fed up about is that I’m on the priority service, but I haven’t had any water. As of tomorrow morning, I won’t have any.”
Ms Woolger lives with ulcerative colitis, which is an inflammatory bowel disease that can cause ulcers, and psoriatic arthritis, and said her autoimmune conditions can make her “more prone to infections”.
She added that having water to keep her house clean is vital to avoid impacting her bowel movements.
“I do need water because if I have a flare or anything, I’m using the toilet much more frequently. If I haven’t got water it’s really unpleasant,” she explained.
“So things like hygiene are actually really important.”
Ms Woolger said she is relying on using bottled water that she received last year when her supply stopped following a contamination risk.
She claimed water issues in her area seem to be a recurrent issue after being hit with outages three times in two years, and criticised Southern Water for not offering better support to customers on the priority list.
“I think (Southern Water) need to sort out their actual logistical support,” she said.
“It’s the actual logistics of why they are supposed to supply water to people on the priority list. We haven’t got any water. Had nobody contact me. I can’t get hold of anybody.”
Southern Water was approached for comment regarding the claims made by Ms Woolger.
Southern Water announced three bottled water stations would be open from 8am on Thursday at Staplewood Football Development Centre, Places Leisure Centre and Asda in Totton.
The water company reported long queues at bottled stations on Wednesday.
It said it is continuing to deliver water supplies to customers registered on its priority list and estimates that around 58,000 homes have been affected by the issue.
Customers have been urged to avoid travelling to “other potential bottled water station locations until we confirm they are open”.
Dedicated tankers have been supplied to Southampton General Hospital and Princess Anne Hospital, which are also affected by the issue, Southern Water said.
The company apologised for the “ongoing disruption”.
It said it had to re-charge its water network and restore supply to homes that were affected.
“We are working towards all customers being back in supply by the weekend.”
On Monday residents living in parts of Surrey were left without water after a major fault at a Sutton and East Surrey (SES) Water treatment works.
Thousands of residents in Sutton, Morden and Epsom were thought to have experienced a loss of water or low pressure due to the issue.