Guildford MP Furious with Thames Water – Council Leader Hopes Lessons Will Be Learned

Published on: 8 Nov, 2023
Updated on: 12 Nov, 2023

The Thames Water distribution station at Artington Park & Ride this evening a few hours before it closed. Only three to four cars per hour were reported to be collecting water.

By Martin Giles

Guildford’s MP has said that she is furious this evening after communicating with angry residents facing new cuts in their water supply.

She wrote: “Mood: Furious. I’ve been engaging with constituents all day on Thames Water issues and with Thames Water themselves.

“There are huge issues still in Guildford in the Onslow and St Nicholas ward areas up to the Cathedral and including the hospital.

“The update I have just received into my inbox from Thames Water is entirely focused on areas in the neighbouring constituency and complete silence on Guildford.

“I know it’s unparliamentary language, but this is just bollocks!

“I have just asked again this evening for intervention from DEFRA Ministers and what pressure they can bring to bear to get this fixed.

“Poor, poor, poor from Thames Water!”

Earlier, Thames Water reported to councillors during the afternoon that there were 300 properties without supply due to air locks, mainly in the Munstead area near Godalming, and that technicians were out removing the air locks.

Farnham Road Hospital was still experiencing supply issues and Thames Water personnel were on site trying to resolve the issues.

Water stations at Crown Court and Artington were open through the day and reported three to four cars an hour were arriving to collect water. Vulnerable customers in the affected areas continued to have water delivered.

But in a message on its website, Thames Water said that those in the GU1 and GU2 postcode areas also might still be experiencing problems: “We’re sorry to customers in the GU1 and GU2 areas who may be experiencing low pressure or no water. This is a temporary issue which we’re actively working to fix – we anticipate supplies being back to normal this evening.

“Aside from this issue, most customers are now back in supply following problems at Shalford Water Treatment plant. We apologise for the ongoing disruption.

“Our engineers will be on site throughout the night as they continue to fix airlocks (trapped air) in our pipe network that are causing issues for customers in areas around Munstead Heath Road, High Street Bramley, Thorncombe Street and Horsham Road. If you have low pressure or no water and live outside of these areas, please let us know on 0800 316 9800.

“We’ve now closed our bottled water stations. If needed, we’ll continue to provide bottled water on Thursday, and will confirm the locations and details here.”

The Waverley Borough Council leader Paul Follows put out the following message this evening…

Share This Post