Passengers at Gatwick Airport faced long queues for toilets and closed restaurants and bars after major water supplies were disrupted.
Water was cut off at both terminals of Britain’s second-busiest airport on Sunday morning after a treatment plant in the area lost power.
People told the BBC of confusion and frustration as all bars and restaurants were closed, leaving some with no place to sit and waiting outside toilets.
Gatwick said it was still responding to the disruption and distributing bottled water, while SES Water, the company that supplies the airport, said the power outage had been fixed but the water still needed to be treated before supplies could be returned.
The company, which also supplies parts of Kent, Surrey and south London, said complications caused by power cuts at the Bough Beach treatment works meant some customers experienced low water pressure or temporary losses in supply.
A spokesperson had earlier confirmed that Gatwick Airport was affected.
In an update just before 13:45 BST, he said: “Our Bough Beach water treatment work is back up and running.
“We now need to treat the water before services can return to normal as quickly as possible.”
Gatwick apologized and said the disruption due to a supply problem continued on Sunday afternoon.
In a statement, it said: “There is currently no water supply at any of the terminals.
“Our staff are ready to assist passengers and provide assistance where needed, with some restaurant partners opening restaurants to provide additional seating.”
The airport said it is working closely with the water company to restore supply as soon as possible.
