A large burst water main in West Molesey has cut supplies to thousands of homes across south London and Surrey, Thames Water has said, prompting urgent calls from local MPs and complaints from residents who woke up with no running water.
In an update on Monday morning the company said its specialist team was "on site and working to stop the water flooding from the broken pipe" and warned that the repair would take "some time" because of the location of the fault.
Scale of the outage and areas affected
Thames Water initially said as many as 15,000 properties were affected. That figure was later revised down to about 6,000 properties. The company has published a list of postcodes impacted, which includes parts of south London and Surrey:
- CR4
- KT1, KT2, KT3, KT5, KT6, KT7, KT8, KT10, KT12
- SM4
- SW16, SW17, SW18, SW19, SW20
- TW10, TW16
| Detail | Reported figure / information |
|---|---|
| Initial properties affected | 15,000 |
| Revised properties affected | 6,000 |
| Estimated leak rate reported | 750 litres per second (reported) |
Political reaction and local concern
Monica Harding, the Member of Parliament for Esher and Walton in Surrey, urged an "urgent response" from Thames Water to restore supplies and to protect vulnerable communities. She told the Press Association that once services are restored there must be an inquiry into "exactly what happened and why" and raised concerns about "decades of underinvestment in our infrastructure and poor regulation".
"We need an urgent response from Thames Water to get water supplies back on as soon as possible and to protect vulnerable communities."
Ms Harding also posted on X (formerly Twitter) that water had been leaking at around 750 litres a second at about 06:30 on Monday and said she was "pushing for an urgent response."
Paul Kohler, MP for Wimbledon, said he had contacted Thames Water after reports of outages across Wimbledon, New Malden, Raynes Park and Morden.
Residents report immediate disruption
Many residents took to social media to report waking to no water or very low pressure. One user posted: "We have no running water. I just want a shower and a cup of tea. Thames Water want their bonuses." Another warned the outage was "having a huge impact already."
Local businesses and households face immediate disruption to day-to-day activities including washing, cooking and sanitation while the repair continues. Thames Water has not published a firm timescale for when normal supplies will resume, reiterating that the fault's location makes repairs complex.
What Thames Water has said and next steps
A Thames Water spokesperson confirmed specialist crews were at the scene and working to stem flooding from the broken pipe. The company has been updating its website and customers about the areas affected and the progress of repair works.
Residents in the affected postcodes should consult Thames Water's official updates and local council channels for the latest information. MPs have said they will continue to press the company for rapid restoration of supplies and a full account of the cause once the immediate incident is resolved.
On the ground, the priority is clear for people left without basic water: swift action to restore service and targeted support for those who are most vulnerable. Questions about the condition of aging infrastructure and regulation have already been raised and are likely to feature in follow-up scrutiny once the emergency is over.
WE NEWS will continue to monitor official updates and local reactions as repair work progresses and supply information is revised.
