At about 3.30pm on Monday, our next-door neighbour knocked on our front door to find out if the water supply pressure to our house had dropped. We checked by turning our kitchen taps on ... and only a dribble of water came out!
For the next four hours Sue and I tried contacting Thames Water – our water supplier – to find out what was happening. We tried to notify them using the company’s website ... but that just took us round and round in circles. We tried contacting them by text, by tweet,
via their Facebook page, and by telephone ... but all to no avail.
Eventually we found a notification on the Thames Water website to the effect that water pressure in the SE2, SE3, SE9, and SE18 postcode areas was being affected by a burst water main in Eltham, (Eltham is in SE9 and we live in SE18) and that this was likely to continue until Friday.
Without any warning, the water supply was reinstated just after 8.00pm, and after a degree of spluttering, we were able to do the washing up, have a shower, and fill our kettle so that we could have a hot drink.
At just after 4.00pm on Tuesday afternoon the water supply went off yet again!
Once again, we tried to contact Thames Water. I tried communicating with the company by Twitter and Facebook whilst Sue tried to telephone them. The best information we could find was that a drinking water supply point had been set up at Blackheath Rugby Club’s ground in Eltham ... some two miles away. Whilst Sue continued to try to speak to someone at Thames Water, I drove to the supply point, where I was able to collect enough water for us and our neighbours ... six of whom are over seventy years old!
On my return, Sue told me that after over an hour being held in a queue, she had been able to speak to an employee of Thames Water ... only to discover than the company had no idea that the water supply in our postcode was interrupted!
By 8.30pm an even larger part of South East London was without piped fresh water, including SE2, SE3, SE9, SE18, DA15, and DA16.
We waited patiently for the water supply to return, but by midnight it had not. We managed to do some washing up after our evening meal, to flush the toilets when it was necessary, and to wash and clean our teeth before going to bed, all using cold water.
When we got up just after 7.00am this morning, the water supply had been reinstated, but the water pressure was lower than normal. Sue and I have managed to have a hot shower or bath, and to fill up the bottles that we emptied yesterday. The latest update indicates that the problem is likely to persist for some time ...
... and Thames Water published the following statement on their website:
'
We’re so sorry if your supply is being affected by the burst water pipe in Westhorne Avenue, SE9.
Our teams are working round the clock to complete a complex repair on this large pipe. It’s close to other utilities, including high-voltage power cables, so we’ve been working closely with UK Power Networks to enable this to be done safely.
To minimise disruption, we’re using tankers to pump extra water into the supply network. We’re also rerouting water where we can to maintain pressures – especially during peak usage times in the mornings and evenings.
This affects storage levels in our reservoirs, so we’re asking local residents to please use water as sparingly as they can at present, even if supplies seem normal. This will help us keep as many taps running as possible while we complete the repair.
Two drive-through bottled water stations will reopen later this morning and we’ll provide further details here. Our on-site team will safely load water into your vehicle, following the latest advice on social distancing. We kindly ask you not to get out of your car or come to these stations on foot. The water is for essential use, like drinking, cooking and hand washing.
The repair work will continue for several days and the southbound carriageway onto the A205 (Westhorne Avenue) from the A2 remains closed for now – we’re sorry for the inconvenience.
We know this has happened at a difficult time. We’ve answered the most common customer questions about coronavirus, including how we can provide extra help to those who need it most.
We’ll keep updating this page with the latest news and advice.'
This map shows the Greater London Post Code Areas. This affected by the water supply problem are indicated in red, as is the boundary of the affected area. The River Thames has been highlighted in light blue.
Judging by what this statement says, we can expect that our water supply will be at best erratic for the next few days ... just at a time when they are predicting that London will be experiencing the hottest days of the year so far and the numbers of COVID-19 infections in our area is on the increase.
