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Kent Water Crisis: 24,000 Homes Still Dry
1 Dec
Summary
- Up to 24,000 homes in Kent are without water for three days.
- A faulty chemical batch at Pembury Water Treatment Works caused the outage.
- Schools have closed, and residents are struggling with basic daily tasks.
An estimated 24,000 homes across a swathe of Kent, encompassing Tunbridge Wells, are experiencing a critical water outage for the third consecutive day. The disruption stems from an issue at the Pembury Water Treatment Works, which ceased operations due to a faulty chemical batch received on Sunday. This has left residents without access to essential water for daily needs.
Local communities have described the situation as 'difficult,' with reports of inability to flush toilets and challenges in finding alternative arrangements for showering. The impact has extended to education, with several schools in the affected area announcing closures for Monday. Residents have expressed frustration over communication and the prolonged lack of service.
South East Water has apologized for the prolonged outage and stated that supplies were expected to begin returning throughout Monday morning as storage tanks were refilled. Bottled water stations have been established to support customers, with priority deliveries made to vulnerable households. The company expects all supplies to be restored by 14:00 GMT.
