Water distribution site (Image: Simon Jones/BBC)
Thousands of residents formed lengthy queues at emergency water stations across after households in the south were left without running water during the hottest days of the year so far.
A total of 18,000 households across Kent, including Herne Bay, Coxheath, Ashford, Maidstone and in the villages of Charing, Challock and Molash all faced disruption beginning on Saturday, May 23.
The crisis began over the weekend, and by Sunday at least 800 homes had been affected, with some properties still without supply as late as Wednesday evening.
South East Water confirmed it had pumped 660 million litres of water to customers across the region – more than 100 million litres above the daily average.
A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) spokesperson added that officials were “in close contact with the company and expect it to restore supplies as quickly as possible”.
Emergency bottled water distribution points were swiftly established by South East Water as locals were forced to depend on the provisions.
Traffic near the bottle stations surged dramatically, with drivers reporting “huge queues” near a Sainsbury’s in Altira Business Park, Broomfield, close to Herne Bay, where the emergency supplies were being handed out.
Severe delays and significant congestion gripped the area as those affected ventured out to collect bottled water to see them through the disruption.
Bottled water being distributed in Kent (Image: Simon Jones/BBC)
A further bottled water collection point was also established at Challock Village Hall near Ashford. Most affected areas have now had their water supply restored, though some residents continue to experience low pressure or intermittent outages.
Those living at the far end of supply networks or on elevated ground were cautioned that disruption could persist during periods of peak demand.
Areas still impacted at 9pm on Wednesday evening:
Whitstable
Pilgrims Way, Kemsing and Sevenoaks
Campion Crescent, Cranbrook
Ashford and surrounding areas
Ulcombe Hill, Ulcombe, Maidstone
Charing, Challock, Molash and surrounding areas
South East Water attributed the outage to record-breaking scorching temperatures in Kent.
Supplies were reinstated from lunchtime onwards on Bank Holiday Monday (May 25). Affected householders have since been contacted via email and urged to “help” ease the situation.
“For those in supply, we now need your help. Please use water for essential purposes only: drinking, washing and cooking.”
The firm stated that water usage had “surged” over the bank holiday weekend, explaining that as households drew water simultaneously, it was pulled from the pipes so rapidly that pressure dropped, leaving those at the furthest reaches of the network with “taps run completely dry”.
The disruption echoed similar scenes witnessed in Tunbridge Wells and Pembury just a fortnight before Christmas, when around 30,000 customers were left without water, and during three days in early April, when some 6,000 households were hit by outages.
Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield branded the water disruption “totally unacceptable”.
“Yet again, when people need the most basic utility of all during an unprecedented heat wave, they have been failed by South East Water,” she said.