Water finally returned to Gatwick Airport on Sunday after an hours-long outage that left passengers without flushing toilets, drinking fountains, or hot drinks from cafes and restaurants. The UK's second-busiest airport, which handles around 46 million passengers a year, saw long bathroom queues, closed bars, and mounting frustration – but flights were unaffected.
Charlotte Anstey, from Bretforton, who was travelling to Spain, told Metro that the airport made 'no announcement about the fact there is no running water after security'. She said she found out from a restaurant employee. 'The worst part of this is the lack of access to toilet facilities. There are guards blocking off access to toilets, and very poor communication on the ground about this. If I'd known, I would not have gone through security,' she added.
“Water returns to Gatwick after outage left passengers without toilets or drinking fountains for hours.”
TalkTV presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer posted on X at 10.42am, before the airport's own statement: 'If you're on your way to @Gatwick_Airport, it might be helpful to know that there is no running water across the entire airport. That means no coffees, no water fountains, no flushing toilets and no hand washing. Gatwick hasn't bothered to make a public announcement about this to passengers. How helpful…'
Just before 11am, a Gatwick spokesperson posted on X: 'A water issue in the Horley area is causing disruption at the airport this morning. The problem is affecting water supply in both terminals and is currently under investigation. Bottled water is being made available to passengers and staff across the airport and other contingency measures are being put in place to ensure the welfare of our passengers.' They apologised for inconvenience.
Disgruntled travellers said the statement came 'too late'. Charlotte reported that despite the promise, there was 'no free drinking water, and no sign of the water bottles they said would be handed out'. Social media users called for Gatwick to close until the problem was fully solved.
Sutton and East Surrey (SES) Water, which serves parts of Surrey, West Sussex, Kent, and South London, also informed customers in TN8, TN11, and parts of RH1 of a supply issue. By the time of writing, Gatwick confirmed water had returned to most areas of the airport, but the communication breakdown left many questioning whether the next holiday-maker might face the same scene.