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Water supply disruption goes on for 10,000 homes

Harry LowLondon
BBC Roadworks shows hole in ground and red/white/blue fences around itBBC
Thames Water has apologised to customers after a large hole was found in a pipe

More than 10,000 homes with water supply issues will have to wait for a fix, as Thames Water says broken pipes "are proving to be more difficult to repair than first thought".

The disruption in east London and Essex has been caused by two water mains that burst on Saturday and Sunday.

Pipe damage on Daisy Road in South Woodford left properties across E4, E10, E11, E17, E18, IG2, IG4, IG5, IG6, IG7, IG8, IG9, IG10 and RM4 postcodes facing low water pressure or no running water.

A Thames Water spokesperson said: "We know how disruptive it is to be without water, particularly during warm weather and we'd like to thank customers for their patience while we carry out this complex repair."

Daytime traffic jam on a road, showing a long queue of cars and a white van
Queues formed at a bottled water station on Tuesday

The water company said residents had been told water should be restored by Wednesday morning.

The second water main burst on Chigwell Road in South Woodford on Sunday morning.

A temporary bottled water distribution point set up at Fairlop Ice Kingdom on Fairlop Road, Ilford, reopened at 09:00 BST on Tuesday.

The Fairlop site replaced an earlier collection point at the Tesco Superstore on Southend Road, which closed on Monday afternoon.

Abdul Jamil, who has dark hair and sunglasses. He is in a wheelchair, wearing an orange top and holding a pack of water bottles.
Abdul Jamil said he did not receive a water delivery

Abdul Jamil, who is a wheelchair user, told BBC London he was finding being without water "very difficult" and was "very disappointed".

He said: "I'm on a priority service and nobody came. I called [Thames Water] yesterday.

"They said they would deliver some water. Nobody came. My carer went to the Tesco, there was no water."

Redbridge Council Nighttime view of a flooded road under a concrete overpass. A fire engine sits in deep, reflective floodwater in the distance with emergency lights on, while dry grassy verge and pavement run along the foreground.Redbridge Council
A pipe burst on Chigwell Road in South Woodford early on Sunday

Thames Water said it was "bringing in extra teams to work on other broken pipes in the area".

A spokesperson said: "We're sorry to customers who have experienced no water or low water pressure following the burst water mains affecting parts of Chigwell.

"Dry ground conditions during this period of exceptionally hot and dry weather can cause movement around buried pipes, increasing the risk of bursts.

"Our teams have been working around the clock since Saturday and remain on site at both Chigwell Road and Daisy Road undertaking repairs and restoring supplies as quickly as possible."

Thames Water increased bills by 40% in April 2025 and last year was fined a record £122.7m by regulator Ofwat, most of which was for breaching sewage spills rules.

On Monday, it was revealed the company paid its finance chief a £1m signing-on fee in July.

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