Gatwick Airport was left without running water for a period on Saturday, causing disruption for travellers passing through one of the United Kingdom's busiest airports. Sky News reported that the loss of water supply had a knock-on effect across the terminal, forcing some facilities to close and leaving passengers to deal with the consequences while they waited for services to return to normal.
The cause of the problem was traced back to a power outage at a water treatment works in south-east England. When the plant lost power, it was no longer able to keep water flowing as normal, and Gatwick Airport was among the sites affected by the interruption to supply. The incident highlighted how a single failure at a treatment site can quickly ripple out to major locations that depend on it.
By the time updates were being given, the situation had begun to improve. Power had been restored at the treatment plant, and the airport said that water supplies were gradually returning. That marked a step towards normal operations, although the recovery was described as a gradual process rather than an immediate fix, leaving some uncertainty over how long full service would take to come back.
During the disruption, the impact inside the terminal was clear. Passengers said that the airport lounges had been closed because they could not operate without running water. One traveller recounted being told by a member of staff that all the lounges were shut, and that while some outlets such as shops might stay open, anything that relied on running water was unable to continue serving customers.
The lack of water also created problems with the toilets. Travellers described very long queues forming, with some people reportedly waiting around half an hour simply to use the facilities. As the disruption went on, passengers said that a smell of sewage had begun to build up in parts of the airport, adding to the discomfort of those caught up in the delays.
With the water only slowly coming back, some passengers were left unsure about what would happen next, including questions over how long the airport would be able to keep operating normally if the supply did not fully return soon. The airport's message that power had been restored and supplies were gradually coming back offered reassurance that the worst of the disruption was expected to ease.