Bottled water stations open amid supply disruption

The water minister has said she is "in close contact" with water firms in the South East, as supply problems for customers in Kent continue.

The company said it has restored supplies to 15,300 properties by 14:00 BST on Saturday but said about 400 were still without water due to drinking water storage tanks reaching "a critical level".

It blamed high demand during the week-long heatwave and urged customers who still have a water supply to only use it for essential purposes, such as drinking, washing and cooking.

The firm said it was also working to repair a burst water main "impacting around 182 customers" in Brook, Ashford, adding that about 3,000 customers "may be experiencing low pressure or an intermittent supply" in the Coxheath, Loose, Headcorn, Ulcombe, Kemsing and Benenden areas.

Some villages began experiencing water supply issues on 23 May.

Bottled water stations, which will be open from 09:00 to 21:00 BST, are at:

• Challock Village Hall, Blind Lane, Challock, Ashford, TN25 4AU
• Kingsnorth Church of England Primary School , Church Hill, Kingsnorth, TN23 3EF
• Sainsbury's Altira Business Park, 6 The Boulevard, Herne Bay, CT6 6GZ
• Sainsbury's Reeves Way, Chestfield, Whitstable, CT5 3QS
• Kavanagh Cinema, William Street, Herne Bay CT6 5NX
• Morrisons, Sutton Road, Maidstone ME15 9NN

South East Water's incident manager Steve Benton said: "We are conscious that today is forecast to be another hot day and demand is therefore likely to remain high.

"Although our network is recovering, levels of drinking water in our storage tanks are still low and we are asking customers to use water for essential purposes only - drinking, cooking, and hygiene."

"We have given out almost 951,000 litres of water at our bottled water stations across Kent and continue to identify new locations for other stations to open."

He said the company was supporting the Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital in Herne Bay and had a dedicated tanker for local farmers with livestock.

Water Minister Emma Hardy said: "Families and businesses should not have to put up with widespread and extended disruptions to their water supply, particularly during periods of very hot weather.

"I and my officials are in close contact with water companies, local authorities and other partners in the south-east of England to discuss support for affected customers.

"These events underline why our reforms to the water sector are so crucial and why water companies must plan and prepare for increasing periods of very hot weather."

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