Passengers at London Gatwick Airport faced significant disruptions on Monday after a water supply failure led to the temporary closure of all toilets, bars, and restaurants across both terminals. The outage was caused by a power failure at the Bough Beech water treatment works near Edenbridge, Kent, which affected not only the airport but also parts of Kent, Surrey, and West Sussex.

Despite the widespread impact, flights at the UK’s second busiest airport continued to operate as scheduled throughout the day. Nevertheless, travellers were unable to use lavatories, refill water bottles, wash their hands, or purchase hot drinks for several hours. Airport staff distributed bottled water to passengers and employees to help manage the situation.

SES Water, the firm responsible for supplying the airport, confirmed that the outage stemmed from complications arising during the power failure at the treatment works. By early afternoon, the facility had resumed operations, but the company indicated that treated water still needed to be processed before full services could be restored. In a statement, SES Water reported: “Supplies are gradually returning for impacted customers including Gatwick Airport – it will take time for the network to fully return to normal as this has been a highly unusual and complex issue.”

Passengers expressed frustration over the handling of the situation. Many took to social media to report long waits without access to basic facilities and complained about the closure of seating areas in restaurants and bars. One traveller noted that elderly and pregnant passengers were reportedly turned away from toilets, and some staff were described as unhelpful. Former MP Michael Dugher publicly urged the airport to allow passengers to use seating in closed hospitality venues, highlighting that families had to sit on the floor amid the disruption.

Gatwick Airport acknowledged the inconvenience caused. A spokesperson explained the issue’s origin in the Horley area of Surrey and emphasized ongoing efforts to support passengers, stating that bottled water and other contingency plans were implemented to ensure welfare throughout the disruption. By Monday evening, most toilets had reopened, and the airport anticipated that all lavatories, along with food and beverage outlets, would be fully operational in time for the next day’s flights.

Local residents in surrounding areas also experienced interruptions, with some reporting low water pressure or complete loss of supply during the incident. SES Water’s teams remained on site working to restore normal service, while the company issued apologies for the inconvenience caused.

While the water outage created considerable discomfort and operational challenges for Gatwick’s passengers and staff, airport and water company officials worked collaboratively to address the issue promptly, limiting its impact on flight schedules.