Bottled water deliveries in Horsham after main bursts in West Sussex village

Southern Water has been delivering bottled water to vulnerable customers, as a precaution, while it repairs a burst main at Hardham Water Supply Works.

A Southern Water spokesperson told this newspaper, on Tuesday afternoon (September 29): “Our teams are working hard to repair a burst water main at Hardham Water Supply Works.

“Customers have remained in supply throughout, and as a precaution, we’ve delivered bottled water to our most vulnerable customers on our Priority Services Register.

“We thank customers for their patience while our teams complete the repair.”

The company said, at 6.20pm on Monday, that supplies were being maintained through changes to its network and other operational measures. It had received no confirmed reports of customers without water.

“Repairs to the burst water main at our Hardham Water Supply Works are ongoing, with our teams continuing to work around the clock to restore full resilience to the network,” Southern Water said.

In an earlier update, the company said it was also preparing potential bottled water collection points in case they were needed.

Horsham MP John Milne shared news of the burst main on Monday, telling residents that deliveries did not mean their water supply had been disrupted.

However, several people commenting on his post said they had been told to expect bottled water but had not received it. Some said they were on the Priority Services Register. Another commenter said they had seen bottles left outside homes along main roads.

In response, Southern Water advised that a ‘small number’ of customers ‘reached out to tell us they did not receive their bottled water delivery’.

The company added: “We’ve arranged for these to be redelivered. As all customers are now expected to remain in supply, no further deliveries are planned.”

Residents can check Southern Water’s works and issues page for updates.