Thousands of homes and businesses in Kent have been left without water during the heatwave, sparking fury at South East Water. The company blamed increased demand, but customers accused it of prioritising profits over infrastructure.
On Wednesday, 8,000 customers in Whitstable lost water, with 14,000 more in Tankerton, Ashford, and surrounding areas facing intermittent supply or low pressure. South East Water's incident manager, Matthew Dean, said 22,000 people had been affected.
Pat Prestage, 67, who lives with a disability, described herself as “spitting, fuming, angry and powerless”. Her husband Martin spent over an hour queueing for water after failing to get through to the emergency line. “They talk to the public as if they’re a public service. They’re a private company, run for profit!” Pat said.
At a water collection point between Whitstable and Herne Bay, hundreds of cars lined up. Kayce Snellgrove, 90, said she had not received any delivery despite being on a priority list. “Absolutely disgusting. I live alone, I’m 90 years old, and I’m cut off again,” she said.
MPs had accused South East Water’s senior executives of incompetence earlier this month, leading to the resignation of the chair and chief executive. The company apologised and said it was doing everything possible to restore supplies.
