London's Gatwick Airport water outage leaves toilets out of order, restaurants shut
Passengers report long queues, confusion and limited seating
LONDON – Passengers travelling through London Gatwick Airport faced widespread disruption on Sunday after a major water supply failure left toilets out of order and forced restaurants and bars to close across both terminals.
The issue stemmed from a power outage at a nearby water treatment works, with airport authorities scrambling to support travellers as engineers worked to restore supplies.
Bottled water was distributed across the airport, while passengers were advised not to arrive earlier than necessary for their flights.
Water crisis at Gatwick
Gatwick Airport said the disruption was caused by a water supply problem in the Horley area, which affected both terminals. In its latest update, the airport confirmed there was no water supply in either terminal, with staff deployed to assist passengers and some restaurant operators reopening their seating areas to provide additional space.
A local water supply issue is continuing to cause disruption. There is currently no water supply in either terminal.
— London Gatwick LGW (@Gatwick_Airport) July 26, 2026
Our staff are on hand to support passengers and provide assistance where needed, some restaurant partners have opened to provide additional seating.
We apologise… pic.twitter.com/B5UZHB1680
The airport apologised for the disruption and said it was working closely with SES Water to restore normal service as quickly as possible.
SES Water later announced that its Bough Beech Water Treatment Works was back up and running following the earlier power outage. However, the company said the water still needed to be treated before supplies could safely return to normal. The utility also confirmed that some customers across parts of Kent, Surrey and Sussex had experienced low water pressure or a temporary loss of supply.
We are pleased to provide an update that our Bough Beech water treatment works are back up and running, we now need to treat the water before returning services to normal as quickly as we possibly can.
— SES Water (@SESWater) July 26, 2026
We would like to thank customers and our partners at Gatwick Airport for…
Passengers described long queues outside toilets, the inability to wash hands or flush facilities, and widespread closures of restaurants and bars due to the lack of running water. Some travellers also complained they had not received clear announcements about the disruption or seen bottled water being widely distributed.
EasyJet also adjusted its operations, temporarily opening bag drop desks two hours before departure instead of the usual three and advising passengers not to arrive early because they would not be able to access departure areas before check-in opened.
While flights were not widely reported to have been cancelled, some arriving passengers said aircraft were delayed as landing slots were adjusted to reduce congestion while the airport dealt with the ongoing disruption. Authorities said further updates would be provided as work to restore the water supply continued.