Southern Water issues update & apologises for widespread water outages impacting homes, schools, and hospitals

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
Southern Water has issued an apology following a major water supply disruption on Wednesday.

The outage, caused by a technical issue at the Testwood Water Supply Works, has left thousands in Southampton, Eastleigh, Romsey, and parts of the New Forest without water, forcing school closures and prompting contingency plans at Southampton General Hospital.

In a statement, Southern Water said: “We have diagnosed the root cause of the issue that has caused the closure of our Testwood Water Supply Works, causing widespread loss of supply to homes in parts of Southampton, Eastleigh, Romsey, and the New Forest.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We have a clear plan to fix the issue and have an Incident team stood up and our operational teams are working hard on this, with the aim of completing the initial phase of the fix at our Treatment Works by tomorrow morning.

“If these works proceed to our current plan customers should start to see supplies restored during tomorrow; however, there may be some pockets where the process takes a little longer, but our plan is for all customers to be back on supply before the weekend.”

Southern Water has issued an apology following a major water supply disruption on Wednesday.Southern Water has issued an apology following a major water supply disruption on Wednesday.
Southern Water has issued an apology following a major water supply disruption on Wednesday. | Getty Images

To mitigate the impact, Southern Water has arranged bottled water deliveries and tanker support:

  • Bottled Water Stations: A distribution point has been set up at Places Leisure Centre, Eastleigh (SO50 9NL), with more stations planned. The company warned of long queues and promised further updates via their website and social media channels.
  • Priority Services: Bottled water is being delivered to more than 12,000 vulnerable customers, with deliveries expected to conclude by 7 PM on Wednesday. Customers can join the Priority Services Register by calling 0330 303 0368.
  • Hospital Support: Three tankers have been dedicated to Southampton General Hospital to ensure essential water supplies.

A spokesperson for University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust confirmed: “We are working with Southern Water on contingency arrangements to ensure our hospitals continue to maintain water supplies. The Trust has stood up its business continuity incident plans as we manage our response.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We ask patients to continue to attend appointments as planned but to allow extra time for their journey and in accessing parking facilities, due to the access requirements being put in place to enable delivery of those supplies.”

The water outage has forced the closure of several schools, including:

  • The Cedar School
  • Sinclair Primary and Nursery School
  • Fairisle Junior School
  • Fairisle Infant and Nursery School
  • Hollybrook Junior School
  • Hollybrook Infant School

Geoff Cooper, the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary spokesperson for Romsey and Southampton North, criticised Southern Water for repeated disruptions, saying: “I can’t quite believe we are here again. A major loss of water supply across our region is becoming a most unwelcome tradition, in the build-up to the festive season.

“As residents are set to see their bills rise significantly in the coming years, there will be a justifiable expectation amongst bill payers that this ‘tradition’ will not be one that continues. Residents want to see the investment needed in the infrastructure, which will prevent loss of water supply and sewage dumping in our rivers and waterways.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Southern Water has pledged to restore supply to affected areas as quickly as possible, with all customers expected to have water restored by the weekend. Further updates will be provided by 6pm Wednesday.

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

Telling news your way
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice