Redbridge homes still without water as repairs deepen

beehiveweb.co.uk editorial team 2026-08-12 16:29 3 min read

A fire truck is parked on a flooded road under a dark bridge at night.

Thousands of homes across Redbridge remain affected after two water mains burst in South Woodford on Sunday, disrupting supplies through the start of the working week.

Thames Water said repairs are more complicated than initially expected. As of Tuesday afternoon, 3,600 homes were still without water, while many more had experienced no supply, intermittent water or reduced pressure at the height of the incident.

3,600 homes remain without water

The disruption has affected parts of Woodford, South Woodford, Clayhall, Hainault and neighbouring areas. More than 15,000 homes were affected at the peak of the outage.

Redbridge Council said it is working with Thames Water, London Resilience partners and local emergency planning teams while the utility restores the network. The council is also checking vulnerable-resident lists against Thames Water records to help ensure people who need water-dependent support are not missed.

The continuing heatwave has added urgency, particularly for households without any running water or with low pressure.

Burst mains on Chigwell Road and Daisy Road need major work

The incident began when mains burst in the South Woodford area, including on Chigwell Road and Daisy Road.

Thames Water has said the work now involves excavation, replacing pipework, reconfiguring the local network and allowing storage and pressure levels to recover. That means restoring water is not limited to repairing the visible burst points; the surrounding network must also be brought back into stable operation.

Redbridge Council says it is pressing Thames Water to accelerate the repairs, provide clearer communication and ensure affected households receive appropriate compensation.

Bottled-water sites open until 9pm

Thames Water has delivered bottled water directly to registered water-dependent customers on its Priority Services Register. Public collection points are operating at:

Fairlop Waters Country Park / Ice Rink site, Forest Road, Barkingside, IG6 3HN
Roding Sports Centre, Luxborough Lane, Chigwell, IG7 5AB

Both sites are scheduled to remain open until 9pm this evening. The council has asked Thames Water to extend the hours where possible, after residents reported long waits at bottled-water stations.

Council volunteers have also been offered to help staff the Fairlop distribution point, alongside highways and traffic-management support.

Council says Thames Water must restore supply and protect residents

Cllr Jo Blackman, Redbridge Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Neighbourhoods, said residents had faced days of unacceptable disruption during the heatwave.

She said the council had spoken with residents affected by the outage and would continue to press Thames Water to restore supplies, protect vulnerable people and provide compensation for those affected.

Residents are being directed to Thames Water’s updates as repair work continues. No restoration time for the remaining 3,600 homes was confirmed in the council’s Tuesday update.

Source: Redbridge Council

Context & actions About this article

Source check Source trail

This report uses Redbridge Council’s account of the water-supply incident and its stated Tuesday afternoon figures.