Storm Ciarán leaves more than 18,000 homes without water in Southampton and New Forest areas

More than 18,000 homes in the Southampton and New Forest areas were without water or experiencing low pressure after Storm Ciarán led to a supply works being shut down, the BBC reported on 3 November 2023¹. Southern Water said rainfall had caused "unprecedented issues with the raw water quality" in the River Test, which triggered a shutdown at its Testwood site so that water could not be abstracted and treated for drinking¹.

The areas affected include Marchwood, near Southampton, Calshot, Fawley and Blackfield in the New Forest, with thousands of households in the SO40 and SO45 postcode areas without running water¹. Southern Water said it had delivered bottled water to care homes and about 2,700 vulnerable customers overnight¹. Bottled water was available at four distribution centres; the BBC listed three:

The stations closed at 21:00 GMT and were to reopen at 08:00 on Saturday¹. The company said the situation was "improving" and that some customers would see their water return overnight, but that supply would be disrupted into the weekend¹.

Tim McMahon, Southern Water's managing director, said the River Test that feeds the area's key supply works had "become really dirty because of the run-off from the ground into the river", making it "really difficult to treat the water to the right quality" and meaning not as much water could be supplied as usual¹.

Why it matters for households

Households in the SO40 and SO45 postcode areas faced a supply interruption running into the weekend of 4 and 5 November 2023, with bottled water collection points operating from 08:00 on the Saturday¹. Southern Water said refilling the network had to be done slowly to prevent bursts, airlocks and discoloured water, and that it takes at least 24 hours to get back to normal¹. The company warned that forecast rain on the Saturday was likely to worsen conditions at the Testwood site and could affect its plans¹. Residents quoted by the BBC described concerns about hygiene, toilet flushing and showering, and queues at collection points¹. Southern Water said it had supplied bottled water to care homes and about 2,700 vulnerable customers overnight¹.

For households checking whether a supply problem is affecting their area, the guide on how to check if there is an outage in your area sets out the steps. The supply interruption checklist covers what to have ready before taps run dry, and bottled supplies, tankers and bowsers from your water company explains how companies distribute emergency water. For households without running water, how to wash without running water covers hygiene, and the water hub collects the site's wider guidance.

What happens next

Southern Water said it was planning to refill the network over the coming days and that work was "progressing well", with some customers due to see their water return overnight¹. The bottled water stations were due to reopen at 08:00 on Saturday 4 November 2023¹. The company said the expected rainfall on the Saturday was likely to exacerbate the issues on site and could affect its plans¹.