Hampshire homes hit by water outage may not get supplies back before weekend
Nearly 60,000 have been affected by the issue at a Southampton treatment works
Last updated 19th Dec 2024
Around 58,000 homes across Hampshire have been hit by a water outage following a "technical issue" at a Southern Water supply works.
Homes in Southampton, Romsey, Eastleigh, Totton, and parts of the New Forest have experienced a loss of water or low pressures.
The issue began on Wednesday morning after the water company issued an update confirming there was a technical issue at the Testwood water supply works preventing water from leaving the site.
In their latest statement, issued ay 7am on Thursday (December 19th), Southern Water said:
"Overnight our teams have fixed the problem at the Testwood Water Supply Works and restarted the site.
"We're now filling up the reservoir again with drinking water, ready to restore supply.
"This is a gradual process which must be done carefully and safely, but customers will start to be reconnected later today."
Bosses had previously warned the issue might continue until the weekend.
66-year-old Jill Woolger from Dibden Purlieu has been without water since Wednesday morning and said she only has around a litre of bottled water left to last her for one evening.
The retired nurse, who lives with an autoimmune condition, is registered on the firm's priority list and was told she could expect bottled water to be delivered to her home by 7pm, but claims she did not receive any.
She told the PA news agency: "I think what I'm so fed up about is that I'm on the priority service, but I haven't had any water. As of tomorrow morning, I won't have any."
Ms Woolger lives with ulcerative colitis, which is an inflammatory bowel disease that can cause ulcers, and psoriatic arthritis, and said her autoimmune conditions can make her "more prone to infections".
She added that having water to keep her house clean is vital to avoid impacting her bowel movements.
"I do need water because if I have a flare or anything, I'm using the toilet much more frequently. If I haven't got water it's really unpleasant," she explained.
"So things like hygiene are actually really important."
Ms Woolger said she is relying on using bottled water that she received last year when her supply stopped following a contamination risk.
She claimed water issues in her area seem to be a recurrent issue after being hit with outages three times in two years, and criticised Southern Water for not offering better support to customers on the priority list.
"I think (Southern Water) need to sort out their actual logistical support," she said.
"It's the actual logistics of why they are supposed to supply water to people on the priority list. We haven't got any water. Had nobody contact me. I can't get hold of anybody."
Southern Water have been approached for further comment regarding the claims made by Ms Woolger.
The firm reported long queues at bottled stations which have been set up at the Places Leisure Centre in Eastleigh, Sainsbury's superstore in Southampton and Asda superstore in Totton.
Southern Water said they are continuing to deliver water supplies to customers registered on their priority list and estimate that around 58,000 homes have been affected by the issue.
They urged customers to avoid travelling to "other potential bottled water station locations until we confirm they are open".
Southern Water said they have supplied dedicated tankers to Southampton General Hospital and Princess Anne Hospital, which are also affected by the issue.
The company apologised for the "ongoing disruption" and said on its website it hopes supply will be restored throughout Thursday, but said the issue may not be fully resolved until the weekend.
"The fix at Testwood supply works is ongoing and we hope to complete the initial phase by tomorrow morning," the firm said.
"We then need to re-charge our water network and restore supply to homes that were affected. If these works proceed to our current plan, customers should start to see supplies restored during tomorrow, but some areas may take longer.
"We are working towards all customers being back in supply by the weekend."