On Wednesday morning, a significant water outage began affecting approximately 58,000 properties across various regions of Hampshire. This disruption can be attributed to a technical fault at the Testwood Water Supply Works, which led to a deterioration in water supply levels and pressure across the affected areas. Large parts of Southampton, as well as Chandler’s Ford, Romsey, Totton, Waterside, and the New Forest region, experienced varying degrees of inconvenience due to this incident.
Nick Adams-King, the leader of Hampshire County Council, provided an update at a recent council briefing where representatives from Southern Water confirmed the extent of the disruption. The company issued an apology to the residents and informed them that the situation was not expected to improve until the weekend. The water utility has been actively working on rectifying the issues, but it has been reported that bottled water stations are being established to support local residents, particularly those on priority lists.
Southern Water has opened stations at notable locations, including the Places Leisure Centre, formerly known as Fleming Park, situated on Passfield Avenue in Eastleigh, and the Sainsbury’s store in Lordshill, Southampton. In an extended effort to alleviate pressure on the existing water supply, tankers have been mobilized to pump additional water directly into the network. Furthermore, three of these tankers have been specifically allocated to support Southampton General Hospital, which is among the facilities also facing a shortage.
The outage resulted in the closure of more than 20 schools in the region, notably North Baddesley Infant School and Halterworth in the Test Valley, as well as The New Forest Academy, Cadland Primary School, Wildground, and Mountbatten School in Romsey. Southern Water representatives assured that they have communicated with the affected educational institutions regarding the crisis.
As the situation unfolds, Mr. Adams-King revealed that the initial shutdown at Testwood Water Treatment Works was automated due to water quality concerns, which originated on Tuesday, December 17. He acknowledged that approximately 73,000 properties rely on the affected reservoir, with Southern Water having to rezone 14,500 properties. The distress caused by the outage, particularly during the festive season, has been labeled “damaging and unacceptable” by Adams-King, who has expressed gratitude for the swift actions taken by the company. However, he urged Southern Water for assurances to prevent such incidents in the future, especially since this marks the second consecutive year a water supply issue has occurred just before Christmas.
Adding to the dialogue, a spokesperson from the UK government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) acknowledged the widespread water supply issues affecting Southampton and Marchwood. The government is maintaining close contact with Southern Water to ensure that the necessary measures are enacted promptly to support and resolve the ongoing issues faced by residents. Furthermore, recent government reforms have introduced measures to double compensation for customers impacted by supply disruptions and noted upcoming investments toward upgrading water infrastructure in the region.
While the incident remains a significant disruption to many households and businesses within the area, local leadership is prompting immediate attention and services from relevant authorities to help mitigate the effects of this water outage.
