Hundreds of homes in Kent are still without water as supply issues persist for a fourth consecutive day, following a recent heatwave that has strained the region’s water network.
South East Water confirmed that approximately 500 properties in Whitstable, Seasalter, and surrounding areas continue to experience no water or low pressure. Earlier in the week, as many as 3,000 customers were affected.
Residents frustrated by prolonged disruption
Local resident Callum Brockhurst, 33, from Kimberley Grove, described the ongoing water crisis as “totally defeating” and warned that it is now impacting both the physical and mental health of those affected.
Brockhurst criticized South East Water for poor communication, stating that the only updates received were repeated apologies for the disruption.
“The nearest bottled water station is nearly four miles away, and many of us don’t drive,” he said. “We were given 12 two-litre bottles, but that’s nowhere near enough for drinking, cooking, cleaning dishes, doing laundry, and washing ourselves.”
Water company working to resolve issue
South East Water’s incident manager Nick Bell said the company was “extremely sorry” for the ongoing situation and acknowledged the frustration among customers. He explained that crews had worked overnight to implement new solutions, including efforts to bypass the affected areas using large machinery that arrived on Saturday morning.
“We are focusing on restoring supplies, but this process is complex,” Bell said, noting that airlocks in the pipes were causing delays.
“Removing trapped air must be done slowly and carefully to avoid further damage, and this is taking longer than we anticipated,” he added.
Bottled water station open for affected residents
South East Water set up a bottled water station at Sainsbury’s on Reeves Way in Chestfield, Whitstable, with distribution continuing until 9:00 PM BST on Saturday.
According to the company’s website, full restoration of water supplies was estimated to be completed by Saturday, though work is still ongoing.
