Thames Water apologises as Surrey residents endure third day with no water

  • ITV Meridian's James Dunham reports from Cranleigh in Surrey

People living in parts of Surrey and Sussex have spent a third day without water due to a fault at a nearby treatment plant.

Around 8,000 homes in and around Cranleigh were affected.

The fault, at Netley Mill Water Treatment Works, has been fixed, but air pockets in the network are still affecting supplies.

On Sunday Thames Water said supplies had been restored to the majority of homes left without water.

The firm has apologised for it taking longer than expected, and is now urging people to only use water if essential.

People living in the GU5, GU6, GU8, RH4, RH5 AND RH12 postcodes were affected by the water loss.

Residents spent the weekend relying on bottled water stations as temperatures topped 30 degrees.

Residents in Cranleigh and surrounding areas were forced to rely on bottled water over the weekend.

Speaking to ITV Meridian, Liberal Democrat Surrey County Cllr Liz Townsend said: "It's completely unacceptable.

"Ant together with the heat, mid to high thirties of heat here, and people having no water when they're being told to keep hydrated.

"We need to know in the longer term when the promised investment in our infrastructure is going to be put in place and what date or timeline there is.

"At the moment we are facing more and more of these cuts."

Residents say that water problems in the area are not uncommon, with disruption reporter in July, February and in the summer 2021.

"It's been a bit of a nightmare, one resident said. "I haven't had a shower since Friday which I probably shouldn't admit."

Another resident said her family arrived home from holiday on Friday. "We haven't had water since then, so all our holiday washing hasn't been done.

"But the swimming pool is open, so we are showering at the swimming pool and try to keep on smiling."

Water can be seen bubbling up from a drain in Cranleigh, Surrey.

In a statement, a Thames Water spokesperson said: “Netley Mill Water Treatment Works is back in service and supply is gradually being restored to the local network. We’re really sorry that it has taken longer than expected to return all supplies to normal.

“Our team are busy identifying and unblocking air pockets in the systems, to help get supplies back to normal as soon as possible.

"When supplies do begin to return, we are asking customers to try to use this just for essential use initially. This will help us return supplies to everyone quicker.  

“We are supplying bottled water to customers who we know need additional help. If anyone is unable to travel to a bottled water site they should contact us on 0800 316 9800 and we will provide assistance.  Also, we have opened bottled water stations this morning, for those customers who still need supplies.

“Again, we’re really sorry for these prolonged problems.

"We’re very aware how worrying and disruptive it is to be without water, especially during hot weather. We’ll continue to keep our website and social media updated with our progress.”