Schools forced to shut amid burst Thames Water pipe ‘leaking 750 litres a second’
A burst Thames Water pipe leaking 750 litres per second disrupted services across seven London and Surrey boroughs on Monday, affecting approximately 6,000 properties. The incident forced multiple schools and colleges to close and left many residents without water supply or experiencing low pressure from early morning.
Thames Water's engineering team worked to repair the 4-foot rupture in Molesey, reportedly caused by a contractor's digger striking the main. The water company apologised for the outage and announced plans to deliver water to vulnerable customers and establish bottled water stations, whilst rerouting supplies to minimise further impact. The incident raised concerns from local MPs about decades of underinvestment in water infrastructure.
- Burst pipe cut water to 6,000 properties, forcing schools across London and Surrey to close
- 750 litres per second leaked from 4-foot rupture; repair work ongoing in Molesey area
- Thames Water opening water stations and delivering supplies to vulnerable customers; concerns raised about infrastructure investment