Approximately 24,000 households in Kent and East Sussex are once again facing water supply disruptions, with the water company South East Water (SEW) estimating that services will not be fully restored until midday on Thursday.
Following five days of intermittent issues, South East Water announced on Wednesday that a “water quality issue” had triggered renewed disruptions for affected properties, advising residents to boil their water before consumption.
The disruptions have led to school closures, and residents are depending on community support across the affected region.
During Prime Minister’s Questions in Parliament, Sir Keir Starmer described the situation as “shocking.”
Live updates: Day 5 of water supply issues
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council confirmed Wednesday that it had declared a “major incident”.
The Prime Minister acknowledged South East Water’s repeated failures to uphold its commitments to restoring safe water supplies in recent days.
Responding to a query from Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, who requested an emergency meeting on the issue, Starmer asserted the severity of the matter and the focus being given to it: “There’s really serious consequences and we are bearing down on that as he would expect because it’s such a serious issue.”
Businesses in Tunbridge Wells anticipate financial losses due to the ongoing water crisis.
Birkan Koca, owner of Eggs Eleven cafe in the Pantiles, criticized SEW’s response as “shambolic”.
“If the water isn’t back on by the weekend we could be looking at £15,000 worth of losses,” he stated.
Grace Power, a Tunbridge Wells resident, reported commuting to London for work due to the disruption in Kent.
She expressed concerns about water quality, citing her pregnancy and the presence of two children under the age of five.
“We had our water supply return on Tuesday, and South East Water said it was safe to drink,” she recounted.
“We are now being told it must be boiled before consuming.”
Eden Hedges, representing St Kilda Cafe, highlighted the “lack of specific information” as leaving him uncertain.
He expressed concern that the new boil notice casts doubt on the effectiveness of coffee machine filtration units to purify water.
“If I knew why I have to boil my water, I would then be able to make a judgement on whether the machines could make it safe,” he said.
South East Water stated Wednesday afternoon that it anticipates all affected customers will have their water supply restored by midday on Thursday.
The company attributed this timeline to the gradual refilling of the Tunbridge Wells pipeline network to prevent further complications, including burst pipes.
Emma Hardy, the government’s water minister, informed BBC South East that a “full investigation” would be conducted.
The company had announced Tuesday that water services were restored to 12,000 customers.
Dr Neil Hudson, Head of Water Quality at SEW, explained that a “recurrence of the water quality issues” that initially forced the shutdown of the Pembury treatment plant occurred after the Tunbridge Wells network was recharged.
“Because of this, we are currently unable to produce drinking water from the Pembury treatment works that meets the strict regulatory standards required for consumption,” he stated.
He urged residents to restrict water use to flushing toilets or showering, indicating that water “cannot be used for drinking and cooking without boiling first.”
The issue, which began on Saturday, has resulted in loss of water or low pressure for customers in Tunbridge Wells, Pembury, Frant, and Eridge.
The company has cited a “bad chemical batch” as the root cause of the problem.
Four bottled water distribution points will remain open until 22:00 GMT on Wednesday at Tunbridge Wells Sports Centre, RCP Parking, Odeon Cinema Knights Way, and The Amelia Scott.
Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.