Thousands of residents across London and parts of the Home Counties have been left facing water supply problems as multiple issues hit Thames Water's infrastructure during Britain's third heatwave of the summer. The supplier has confirmed separate disruptions affecting areas in east London and north west London, with some residents reporting they have no water while others are experiencing low pressure.
The problems arrived as temperatures remained high across the capital, with overnight conditions staying around 24C and forecasts predicting highs of 33C. The timing has raised concerns for residents relying on a steady water supply during a period when health officials have issued a heat alert.
Thames Water said teams were working to investigate the causes of the disruptions and restore supplies as quickly as possible. The company confirmed that issues were also affecting parts of the Home Counties, including areas across Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Bedfordshire.
London Water Supply Problems Hit During Heatwave
Thames Water confirmed that two separate incidents had affected London as the third heatwave of the year began. Disruptions were reported across southern England, with problems impacting both east London and north west London.
Residents in east London postcodes including E1, E2, E3, E9, and E16 were among those affected by reports of no water supply. Thames Water issued an update apologising to customers and confirmed that specialist teams were travelling to the area to investigate the issue.
The company said, 'We're sorry if your tap water isn't running at the moment. We're aware of an issue in the area that's affecting customers in the East London area.'
@thameswater are replacing pipes in the road. There were no leaks just maintenance work. Now, when we are told of water shortages & hose pipe bans, there is water running down the road. Thames Water workers gone home for the afternoon. pic.twitter.com/IY9I4coLEX
— William Sheehan (@William13253878) July 8, 2026
Thames Water added that its teams were working to identify the cause of the disruption and restore water supplies. The supplier also acknowledged the impact that losing access to water can have on households.
'We know how disruptive it is if you lose your water supply, so we'll work hard to get things back to normal as soon as we can,' the company said.
The supplier also reminded customers that its Priority Services Register was available for people who may need additional support during supply problems.
A separate issue was reported in north west London, where the NW11 area around the North Circular experienced low water pressure. Thames Water said the problem was caused by a burst water main, with teams sent to the site to isolate the leaking pipe before beginning repair work.
The company stated, 'We're sorry if your tap water isn't running as normal. Due to a burst water main in the area, your water supply is affected.'
It confirmed that teams would remain on site overnight to carry out repairs and restore normal supplies as soon as possible.
Home Counties Also Affected By Disruptions
The water supply issues were not limited to London, with Thames Water confirming problems across a wider stretch of the Home Counties. Residents in parts of Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Bedfordshire were also affected by disruptions.
Affected postcodes included HP17, HP18, HP22, MK18, OX3, OX5, OX9, OX25, OX26, OX27, and OX33.
The outages came as Britain entered its third heatwave of the summer, with high temperatures forecast across the country. Londoners were dealing with warm overnight conditions before temperatures were expected to rise further.
The UK Health Security Agency issued an amber heat health alert, which remained in place until 6 am on Monday, July 13. The alert highlighted the need for people to take care during the period of hot weather.
Burst #water pipe in East London….some residents without water#flooding and water shortage during #heatwave #london #firebrigade are installing water barriers ….rescue boat not needed so far
— Mathew Carr wants markets to save earth's charm (@carrzee) July 8, 2026
Photo/video Credit CarrZee and neighbour pic.twitter.com/qwtsayLpVO
Thames Water said it would continue monitoring the affected areas and provide further updates as repair work progressed. Customers were advised to check for updates while teams worked to restore normal water supplies.
The supplier also thanked residents for their patience while engineers worked to resolve the problems. With temperatures expected to remain high, the disruption added further difficulty for households already dealing with the challenges of the heatwave.
