Thousands of people in Kent are experiencing water supply problems this weekend following an instrument failure at a water treatment works. South East Water (SEW) reported on Saturday that over 7,000 properties in the Tunbridge Wells area could face low pressure, intermittent supply, or no water at all.
Cause and Impact
The failure affected levels in drinking water storage tanks, hampering the pumping of supplies to homes in Tunbridge Wells and Pembury, particularly in higher elevations. SEW stated that water supplies are unlikely to return until Sunday evening at the earliest, as storage tanks need to be replenished to ensure a stable and continuous flow.
Bottled Water Stations
SEW has set up bottled water stations at the Tesco Superstore on Pembury Road in Tunbridge Wells and at Tunbridge Wells Rugby Football Club in St Marks Recreation Ground. These stations were open until 10pm on Saturday and reopened at 7am on Sunday. Bottled water is also being delivered to customers on a priority register.
SEW incident manager Robert Anthony-Scorse explained: “An earlier instrument failure at our water treatment works in the Tunbridge Wells area caused the site to shut down for a short period this morning. The site has managed to run uninterrupted this afternoon. However this, along with several days of high demand for drinking water, has impacted levels in our local drinking water storage tanks.” He added that the site is operational again and that SEW is working to increase storage levels to restore booster pumps, ensuring a stable supply once returned.
Regulatory Action
SEW was ordered to spend £30.5 million on improvements after industry watchdog Ofwat found the company had repeatedly let down customers. The regulator launched probes following several supply interruptions in Tunbridge Wells and across Kent and Sussex between November and January. More than 77,000 customers experienced “periods without water supply, low pressure or intermittent supplies” due to leaks, bursts, and storm-related power cuts.
Ofwat stated that SEW, which serves 2.3 million customers in the south east of England, would have to bear the costs along with shareholders, rather than passing them onto household bills. The redress package concludes three investigations into SEW and includes a previously proposed £22 million fine for water supply failures between 2020 and 2023 that impacted over 286,000 people.
In June, Kent MP Tom Tugendhat described the firm as the “worst-run company I've ever come across.”
