Home / Disasters and Accidents / Kent Reels: Water Woes Hit 5,500 Homes Amidst Failures
Kent Reels: Water Woes Hit 5,500 Homes Amidst Failures
19 Jan
Summary
- Over 5,500 households faced water outages due to multiple infrastructure failures.
- A treatment works fault on Saturday affected 4,500 homes near Maidstone.
- Regulator cited foreseen treatment center failure and inadequate testing.
Thousands of households across Kent continue to grapple with severe water supply issues following a series of major failures by South East Water. On Sunday evening, over 5,500 homes were impacted by a combination of a treatment works fault, a power outage, and two burst mains, compounding recent widespread disruptions. Earlier this week, 30,000 homes in Kent and Sussex faced prolonged outages, drawing significant criticism.
The latest incidents included a Saturday fault at a treatment works affecting 4,500 homes in villages near Maidstone, with service restoration expected overnight. Additionally, 800 homes in Linton faced issues from a burst main, and 320 homes in Bidborough were still without water five days after an initial power outage. Another burst main on Sunday evening further disrupted supply between Maidstone and Ashford.
Compounding the crisis, the Drinking Water Inspectorate revealed that a November treatment center failure was foreseen weeks prior and could have been prevented with proper testing. This has led the Environment Secretary to call for a review of South East Water's operating license by Ofwat, which has launched an investigation into the company's customer service obligations.
