Bake Off cook on 'terrible' five-day water issues

A former contestant on The Great British Bake Off said water shortages in parts of Essex and east London had been "terrible" to experience.

Pui Man's house in Chigwell Row was one of 10,000 affected when a water main burst on Saturday, followed by three more incidents.

People have had to rely on shop supplies and bottled water stations as they dealt with not being able to drink or wash themselves.

Thames Water managed to fix three of the broken pipes on Wednesday and has been working to bring them back into supply.

The issue was felt across 14 postcode areas across Essex and east London, including Loughton, Chigwell, Buckhurst Hill, Walthamstow and Woodford.

Man, who appeared on Bake Off in 2025, said: "I know they have the water station, but it's miles away.

"It's terrible, we can't flush the toilet. We can't do cooking. It's really, really bad."

Speaking on Wednesday, the baker said it had been five days since she had been able to shower or wash up and the roads in Chigwell were gridlocked.

The first pipe burst in Daisy Road, South Woodford, and was followed by another on Chigwell Road in the town.

Bottled water stations were later opened in Ilford and Loughton.

Love Island and The Only Way Is Essex star Georgia Harrison was also among those affected by the shortages.

"POV you live in Loughton, Buckhurst Hill or Chigwell and this is your shower and toilet," she wrote on Instagram, sharing a video of her carrying multipacks of water through Loughton.

Deborah Hall, who runs the Chigwell Riding Trust for Special Needs, has been struggling to find water for her 13 horses and ponies.

Neighbours have rallied to secure her a bowser, but she feared it would soon run out.

"It is a nightmare, but we're lucky today that we've got the water," Hall said.

"They literally have saved the day. If it weren't for them, we'd be in dire straits, without a doubt."

Vulnerable customers logged on Thames Waters' priority services register were told they would continue to receive a supply during the downtime.

However, Carol Ferrary, who lives in a gated Chigwell community, said that supply had not happened for some of her neighbours.

"We're not asking for anything extravagant. We're asking Thames Water to do what they've told us they would do," she said.

"After five days, telling elderly and vulnerable residents to keep waiting or go and collect it themselves is not good enough."

She said some people living alongside her at The Bowls were incontinent and in desperate need of washing.

Thames Water has apologised for the disruption and admitted it was "frustrating and difficult".

Workers had to dig a 3m-deep (9.84ft) trench to fix the fourth pipe, which was also 3m in length.

A spokesman said: "We know how disruptive it is to be without water, particularly during warm weather, and we'd like to thank customers for their patience while we carry out this complex repair."

Do you have a story suggestion for Essex? Contact us below.

Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.