Schools, businesses, and homes across seven boroughs in England were affected by a Thames Water outage on Monday, 28 September 2026. This was caused by a burst water main that was reportedly leaking 750 litres a second.
Approximately 6,000 properties across five south London boroughs and two Surrey boroughs initially experienced no water supply or low pressure, according to Thames Water. The company has apologised for the disruption, stating that a specialist team is on site working to stop the flooding and repair the pipe.
Among the institutions forced to close were Esher College, a sixth form college for 2,000 students, Kingston Grammar School, Long Ditton Infant and Nursery School, Thames Ditton Infant School, and Hollyfield School and Sixth Form Centre in Surbiton. Hollyfield School informed parents that while they had water, it was not replenishing, making it unsafe for students to remain on site after lunchtime.
Thames Water is rerouting water to reduce the impact on customers and is making deliveries to registered vulnerable customers. Bottled water stations are expected to open this afternoon, with locations to be confirmed.