Water supply problems leave over 8,000 Kent residents without adequate service
More than 8,000 customers of South East Water across Kent are facing low pressure or no water due to pipe bursts, high demand and power outages.
A water supply disruption affecting more than 8,000 South East Water customers has spread across multiple parts of Kent, including Herne Bay, Blean, Brabourne and Benenden. The utility attributes the shortages to prolonged heat, high consumption, recent pipe bursts and an overnight power failure that left a storage tank at Wraik Hill critically low. Incident managers Mike Pickard and Jenny Rhodes described staff as exhausted and pushed to their limits, apologising for what they called an "unacceptable" level of service.
Defra criticised the company's response, urging faster leak reduction and stricter drought planning. Bottled-water distribution points have been opened at several venues, and customers are asked to use water only for essential needs while supplies are gradually restored.
Why it matters
Hundreds of households in Kent lack reliable water, highlighting infrastructure strain during heatwaves.
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