Statement: Thames Water outages

Commenting on the ongoing water shortage in parts of Surrey, Tim Oliver, Leader of Surrey County Council said:

“I am incredibly frustrated and disappointed to hear that after several days without water many of our residents still remain affected by the Thames Water outages.

“We had been reassured that water had been reinstated to all residents earlier in the week but understand this is only now close to being rectified. I fully acknowledge that this has been an awful experience for residents and commit to following up with Thames Water on their response.

“There are a number of care homes, GPs, schools and a hospital in the vicinity of this incident. Staff at Surrey County Council along with partners have been working around the clock since last Saturday to prioritise the most vulnerable but the Thames Water response to this incident has not been satisfactory.

“While there will be time for lessons learned and thoroughly investigating any lessons or failings – our top priority right now is to work with partners and Thames Water to get help to those remaining residents impacted by this. We will continue to do all we can to hold Thames Water to account and ensure they deal with this emergency as a matter of the highest urgency. 

“We are monitoring the situation closely with partners to ensure arrangements are in place should disruption continue into the weekend.

“Any residents still experiencing issues with water supply should call Thames Water on 0800 316 9800.”