Key facts
- Hundreds of residents in nine blocks in Tower Hamlets, east London, have been without regular running water for over seven months.
- The housing association Poplar Harca is delaying permanent repairs due to a statutory Section 20 consultation process with leaseholders.
- Residents suspect new housing developments in the area are diverting water supply.
- Thames Water is investigating potential infrastructure upgrades to address increased demand from new developments.
- Some residents may have lacked adequate water for up to a year by the time repairs are completed.
Hundreds of residents in east London have been enduring a severe lack of regular running water for over seven months, with some suspecting new housing developments are diverting supply. The affected blocks, located in Tower Hamlets, have seen taps run dry since last summer, forcing families to rely on bottled water and impacting basic daily activities like cooking, cleaning, and flushing toilets.
Poplar Harca, the housing association landlord, acknowledges that water pressure levels can fluctuate but denies a complete stoppage. The landlord initially pointed to Thames Water for supplying lower pressures, while simultaneously informing residents that their buildings required new pump systems to increase pressure. However, these essential works are delayed by a statutory consultation process (Section 20) required to determine leaseholders' contributions to the cost.
Residents, including families with young children, the elderly, and those with disabilities, have found the suggested solutions of using public showers or leisure centres unacceptable. They report long waits to contact the housing association and limited bottled water deliveries, with some receiving their first supply eight months after the shortages began. The situation has been exacerbated by recent heatwaves.
Engineers are divided on the cause, with some suggesting Thames Water's aging infrastructure is struggling with increased demand from new developments, leading to reduced pressure. Others argue that if Thames Water is meeting its minimum pressure obligations, the responsibility lies with the landlord to ensure adequate supply to individual flats.
Thames Water is investigating the issue, considering infrastructure remodelling to accommodate development, though plans are in early stages. Poplar Harca estimates that repairs in some of the affected blocks will not be completed until September, meaning some residents will have been without adequate water for up to a year. A community organiser has labelled the situation a 'scandal'.