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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Gatwick Airport runs out of water forcing toilets and restaurants to close amid heatwave

Gatwick Airport is running out of water during the scorching heatwave, causing more chaos for the under-fire industry.

A burst water main has resulted in low water pressure throughout the airport. It is reported only two toilets are working in one terminal.

Passengers, who have had to contend with huge delays and short-notice flight cancellations already this summer, have also reported that many restaurants have been forced to shut.

SES Water say they are working to resolve the issue while Gatwick spokesperson apologise for the problems, which has been going on since early this afternoon.

Staff at Britain’s second busiest airport have moved to offer travellers bottled water due to the on-going issues.

Only two toilets in one of the terminals are working, passengers say (Sussex News and Pictures)

They said: "An issue with the supply of SES Water to Gatwick and the surrounding area this morning has led to lower water pressure than normal across the airport.

"We are working closely with SES Water to ensure this issue is resolved as quickly as possible.

"Bottled water is being made available to passengers and staff across the airport and other contingency measures are being put in place to ensure the welfare of our passengers.

"We apologise for any inconvenience to passengers."

They also tweeted angry passengers to confirm they "have contingency measures in place".

Staff have been forced to dish out bottled water to customers (Sussex News and Pictures)

Speaking to Metro, Raquel Rodrigues said she has already had a flight cancelled amid dire staffing troubles faced by UK airports and ‘now there are no toilets’.

She told the publication: "There are only two working in the whole terminal and you can imagine what the queues are like.

"Nobody wants the airport to close but there are heated exchanges between staff and people trying to travel with young families.

"Apparently, there is a tanker coming but it’s just a bit third world."

The chaos has caused long queues at the terminal (Sussex News and Pictures)
It is the latest issue the industry has been faced with after a chaotic summer (Getty Images)

Angry passenger tweeted: "Shocking service @Gatwick_Airport with no toilet facilities open on the food court level and large queues at the few that are open."

A spokesman for SES Water said: "We have identified a burst water main in Shipley Bridge, Crawley, and are working hard to resolve this.

"As we progress with the repair, we’re hopeful this will begin to restore pressure to the surrounding areas."

It has also been reported that 1,500 homes in the Crawley area have been left without water.

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