Brief
Thames Water pipe burst leaves 15,000 homes without water
A 750‑litre‑a‑second leak in Molesey has shut water supplies to thousands of households and schools, prompting Thames Water to deploy a specialist team and set up a bottled‑water station.
By Felo News Desk · Published
A burst main in Molesey, Surrey, has cut water to around 15,000 properties across London and Surrey, forcing schools and nurseries to close and prompting Thames Water to deploy a specialist team and open a bottled‑water station for residents.
Scope of the outage
The leak, which began at about 6 pm, was reported to be discharging 750 litres a second. By the evening, roughly 5,500 properties were still affected, with seven London boroughs and parts of Surrey reporting no water supply or low pressure.
Impact on schools and community facilities
Esher Sixth Form College, Holy Cross School in New Malden, and several infant schools in Surrey announced closures for the day. The Neilson Recreation Ground in southwest London also flooded, and a bottled‑water station was set up at the site to serve residents.
Company response and wider context
Thames Water apologised for the disruption and said a specialist team was on site to urgently fix the leak. The company, which serves 3.9 million customers, is currently £19.5 billion in debt and has faced criticism over infrastructure investment and water loss, which averages 569 million litres per day.
Political reaction
MPs from the affected area, including Monica Harding of Esher and Walton and Paul Kohler of Wimbledon, called for an urgent response from Thames Water. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey described the outage as another example of the firm’s failures.
Key facts
- A burst pipe in Molesey discharged 750 litres per second (dailymail.co.uk)
- The leak affected about 15,000 properties across London and Surrey (dailymail.co.uk)
- Thames Water deployed a specialist team and opened a bottled‑water station (dailymail.co.uk)
- Seven London boroughs and parts of Surrey reported no water supply or low pressure (dailymail.co.uk)
- MP Monica Harding called for an urgent response from Thames Water (dailymail.co.uk)
Background
Thames Water is Britain's largest water company, serving 3.9 million customers and currently facing £19.5 billion in debt. The company has previously been criticised for underinvestment in infrastructure and high water loss rates.
Why it matters
The outage disrupted daily life for thousands of households and schools, highlighting ongoing concerns about the company’s infrastructure and financial stability.
What happens next
Thames Water is working to repair the leak; affected schools and residents are awaiting further communication.
Sources
- [1] dailymail.co.uk — originally reported as “Thousands of homes without water amid burst Thames Water pipe”
