Thousands of homes in West London were left without water for several hours on Tuesday, July 14, after a burst pipe in Chiswick caused flooding and disrupted supply. The outage began around 7:30pm in the W4 area of Chiswick and later spread to Shepherd's Bush, White City, and Acton, leaving residents unable to shower, wash hands, or fill a glass of water.
Thames Water responds to burst pipe
Thames Water issued a statement to customers explaining that a burst pipe was the cause. Almost 90 minutes later, a specialist team located the large burst water main on Acton Lane. The incident caused varying disruption, from low pressure to no water in homes, and led to flooding on the road.
The water company worked through the night to restore supply. Some homes in W3 had running water as early as 11pm, and by 00:30, the broken pipe was isolated and water rerouted to the entire W3, W4, and W12 areas. However, some properties continued to experience low water pressure.
Repairs continue amid low pressure
In a statement issued at 12:43pm on July 15, Thames Water said: "Our teams remain on site on Acton Lane, where excavation works are continuing to prepare the damaged water main for repair. Once the excavation is complete, repair work will begin as quickly and safely as possible. We've kept water flowing to customers by rerouting supplies through the local network, and all customers should continue to have water. However, you may still notice lower water pressure during periods of high demand while repairs are underway."
Acton Lane remains closed, and drivers are advised to allow extra time and follow diversion routes. Thames Water said it would provide the next update by 15:45.
Advice for affected residents
A Thames Water spokesperson added: "If you live in a block of flats, you may need to contact your managing agent to come out and reset your internal pumps if you're still experiencing issues with your supply. Often when your water returns it may be discoloured at first (rusty, white or milky in colour), this is normal – for further guidance on what to do when you experience this and other issues following an incident…"
Teams remained on site continuing to repair two damaged sections of the water main. While all homes have running water, full normal service has not been restored. When asked when normal service could be expected, Thames Water said: "Unfortunately we can’t put a time on the repair, but we will continue to keep the incident page updated." A further statement was expected later on Wednesday, July 15.
