Numerous individuals have reported to the BBC that they are still experiencing a lack of water, even though Thames Water announced it had repaired a ruptured pipe to restore service to “most homes” in south London.
Thousands of residents in areas including Crystal Palace, Forest Hill, Sydenham, West Norwood, and Streatham were impacted by the outage that occurred on Tuesday evening.
On Friday, local residents expressed their frustration to BBC London, describing the situation as “absolutely terrible” and criticizing Thames Water’s communication as “extremely poor.”
In a statement, Thames Water apologized to customers in the Crystal Palace region who are either without water or experiencing reduced pressure due to the burst pipe.
The utility company further stated that it is “putting in considerable effort to flush the system and conduct final checks to completely restore water service to customers.”
Seven schools and three care homes have been disrupted by the leak affecting the SE19, SE20, SE23, SE26, SE27, and SW16 postal areas.
A bottled water distribution site at Sainsbury’s Southend Lane was forced to close on Thursday due to a “security incident,” but it reopened on Friday morning.
Christopher, who traveled from Forest Hill to collect bottled water, remarked: “The main problem is that the water supply they’re offering is a 10-minute drive away.
“If you’re lucky enough to have a vehicle, it’s convenient. I actually just retrieved my car from the garage this morning to come and gather a significant amount of water for myself and my neighbors—families with children and elderly residents.
“It’s utterly unacceptable.”
On Friday, Thames Water announced its intention to appeal the water regulator Ofwat’s decision to cap price increases at 35% over the next five years, arguing that this constraint fails to adequately support the investment and enhancements necessary for Thames Water to serve its customers, communities, and the environment effectively.
This statement came just two days after company executives acknowledged that they would not fulfill over 100 environmental initiatives financed by customers, prompting Ofwat to launch an investigation.
Additionally, Thames Water reports that it loses 24% of the water it distributes due to leaks.
