Live Updates arrow
Account Login
search-icon
Close

What happens when there's an incident

Incidents can happen due to things like burst or blocked pipes, equipment failures, bad weather, power cuts, or unexpected problems during planned work. Learn how we manage incidents and how we’ll support you when you have no water.

background

Supporting you when you have no water

During an incident, like a loss of water supply, we'll regularly keep you updated by:

If your water supply is interrupted because of an incident or unplanned works, we'll do our best to make sure water is easily available to you. We’ll do this by using our tankers to fill up reservoirs or add water directly into our network, or set up bottled water stations and delivery water to your door.  

Eligible customers on our Priority Service Register, may be entitled to receive water deliveries during a loss of supply. Our free confidential Priority Services Register (PSR) supports customers with additional needs, on a long-term or temporary basis, prioritising those who need our support the most.

If you're eligible for bottled water deliveries, we will notify you to confirm when this is happening. We'll deliver bottled water to eligible customers, within 12 hours, except through the night. We’ll carry on delivering bottled water every 24 hours until your water returns.

You’ll be able to collect water at drive-through bottled water stations with safe pedestrian access. They’ll be set up around the local area with locations being agreed in advance, working with local authorities and as part of our emergency planning process.

Your questions answered

Here you'll find answers to some commonly asked questions about unplanned events.

We may on occasion issue Emergency Notices about your water supply. This could happen in the rare event that there are concerns surrounding water quality. 

There are 5 different Emergency Notices that could be issued:

  • Boil your tap water before use.
  • Do not use tap water for drinking or cooking.
  • Do not use tap water for drinking, cooking, or washing. 
  • Do not use tap water.
  • Use your tap water as normal. 

You will receive communication via post if there is a need to boil your water, or if you cannot use your water. We will also use other forms of communication to support our messaging and make sure customers know what is needed. 

Eligible customers on our Priority Service Register, may be entitled to receive bottled water. This will be delivered by companies supporting our response to the incident. It is unlikely that they will be a direct employee of Southern Water. 

If you have been advised you will receive a delivery of water and have not received it, it may be that it is still out for delivery. We sometimes have to complete 1000’s of doorstep deliveries, which does take time. Please contact us if you have not received a delivery after 12 hours of losing water. 

If your water is back on, you may notice that it’s slow to come out of the tap or you have low pressure. This is normal as the network fills up. You may also notice the water isn’t completely clear to begin with.

Below are some of the things you can expect as your water comes back on:

  • Discoloured water from your taps is normal after a supply interruption. This is usually temporary and disappears once the network settles. 
  • If the water is cloudy and white, try leaving it in a glass for a few minutes to see if it clears, this will be air trapped in the water as the pipes refilled. 
  • Chlorine smell or taste. This is perfectly normal and comes from the small amounts of chlorine that remain in your supply known as 'chlorine residual'.
  • If the water has a brown or black colour, run your tap for a few minutes and it should clear. If this doesn't work, turn the tap off, wait 20 minutes, and try again. It’s fine to use your water as normal when your water runs clear.  

Sometimes after our water network has been emptied, air locks can occur either in our pipes or yours's– running taps for a short while can help bring water through.

Find out more on our my water looks, smells, or tastes unusual. 

We’ll make sure you have at least 10 litres of water per person, per day, if we are unable to give water through normal piped supply. This increases to 20 litres per person, per day, after 120 hours (five days). 

Did you find the information you are looking for?

Thank you for your feedback. We’re glad you found this information useful!
We're sorry to hear that. Please tell us a bit more by ticking any of the boxes below that apply.
Page feedback form