Thousands of homes, schools, and businesses in Tunbridge Wells are expected to remain without water for at least another day after South East Water reported a recurrence of the quality issue that caused the initial shutdown. The company had hoped to restore supplies on Tuesday but said the problem at its Pembury treatment site had reoccurred.
Around 18,000 properties have been affected since Saturday when the water company accidentally added the wrong chemicals to the supply. Schools have closed, and residents have resorted to using buckets of rainwater to flush toilets. Pets, including cats, dogs, and guinea pigs, have been given bottled mineral water to drink.
Bottled water stations have been set up, but some elderly residents have struggled to reach them and have relied on neighbours. South East Water has not managed home deliveries. One resident reported fights breaking out in a local supermarket over water supplies.
The Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells, Mike Martin, has called for the resignation of South East Water CEO David Hinton, describing the company's response as "chaotic" and a "total failure of leadership." He noted that restaurants, hotels, and GP surgeries had lost revenue or shut, and care homes were left without water.
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has launched an investigation. A DWI spokesperson said the company must put measures in place to protect consumers and prevent recurrence. The government described the disruption as "unacceptable" and said Defra officials are working closely with South East Water.
South East Water incident manager Matthew Dean said the company is working to resolve the issue. He warned that as supplies return, customers may experience discolouration due to naturally occurring deposits disturbed in the network.
