Thames Water warning as incident closes Oxfordshire school

The UK’s largest water company released a new statement just before 9pm today (Thursday, June 4), alerting residents to potential water loss amid an ongoing incident near Didcot.

Thames Water has provided updates about the incident, affecting Fulscot, the OX11 postcode, having first communicated the issue at 9.30am.

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A repair crew identified a burst water pipe and worked to dig down to the damaged section to carry out the repair.

However, it has proven a complex repair job – in part because of the “challenging ground conditions” – and the company has promised to provide another update tomorrow morning.

This evening, a spokesperson for Thames Water said: “Our teams remain on site and continue to excavate around the damaged water pipe.

Burst water pipe leaving Fulscot near Didcot in South Oxfordshire without water or a low water supply (Image: Thames Water)

“Due to the location of the burst and the challenging ground conditions within the field, the excavation is taking longer than originally anticipated.

“However, our teams are making steady progress and will continue working until they can safely access and repair the damaged section of pipework.”

Already the incident has proven disruptive with Hagbourne Church of England Primary School having to close suddenly today.

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The spokesperson added: “To help minimise disruption, we’ve moved water around the network to maintain supplies to customers while the repair is ongoing.

“Most customers should continue to have water, although some may experience low pressure and a temporary loss of water for short periods while work continues.

“Thank you for your continued patience while our teams work to complete these repairs.”