Run the bath until it’s full, fill up the kettle and restock the fridge with water: this is a daily routine for a Kent resident who fears she’s going to come home to no working mains water.
A major incident has been declared as tens of thousands of homes across Kent and Sussex have had no water since the early hours of Saturday morning.
But residents have told The Independent they are “beyond disgusted” as they face water shortages on a regular basis.
Joanne Lee, 53 and from Ulcombe in Kent, explained the issues are so frequent she has been forced to change her routine and never leaves the house without filling up water bottles.
“Sometimes it can be for a couple of hours, sometimes it’s for days. I’ve never lived anywhere like it,” she said.
“I’ve got into the routine of filling up my bath, so I can use that to flush the toilet. It has become an everyday routine because the water supply is so intermittent, and that shouldn’t [be] normal for the UK.
“I never leave my house without a full kettle, my fridge water filled up, I always leave my house with everything full just in case when I come home I’ve got no water.”
South East Water (SEW) has listed several reasons for the water shortage and pressure problems, including Storm Goretti, burst water mains and a power cut at its pumping plant.
The water company explained Storm Goretti affected its ability to treat water at the normal rate, and this – coupled with an outbreak of burst water mains due to freezing conditions across Kent and Sussex – has caused drinking water levels to run low. Several schools in East Sussex are closed due to the shortages, and the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead is holding some appointments virtually.
Collection points for bottled water have been set up and although the water company is working to maintain supplies, some customers have been told their supply may not return until Tuesday.
It comes after 24,000 customers across Tunbridge Wells, Pembury, Frant and Eridge experienced a loss of water or low pressure in December following “water quality issues”.
Paddy McGinley, 60, has lived in Ulcombe for four years and set up a WhatsApp group called Ulcombe Water Watch Group after constant water supply issues. He has been recording every time the village experiences a problem and plans to escalate the data to his local MP.
“They’ve [SEW] got problems because they’ve most probably got an infrastructure that needs updating and they’re not doing it quickly enough,” he said.
“Last year we had a 25 per cent increase on our bills, so what are they doing with all the extra money from customers, and why is it we’ve got hospitals reducing their services, we’ve got schools that have closed. These are essential things. The impact is massive.”
Jonathan Hawker, who has also set up a campaign group for Tunbridge Wells called Drywells Action, said: “Water is a human right, and we are being denied this basic human right.”
The 58-year-old aims to secure a public meeting and an independent audit of the infrastructure in Tunbridge Wells and the reservoir that serves it.
He claimed SEW is “failing on a routine basis” and a decision needs to be made on what needs to be modernised to ensure that Kent has a water system fit for purpose going into the next few decades.
“We’re way beyond disgusted in Tunbridge Wells now SEW hasn’t invested to ensure the infrastructure is fit for purpose, and now we have lost confidence that they are able to keep their heads above water in terms of the one job that they have, which is to deliver water to our community,” he said.
He stressed the government needs to have an emergency plan to provide an alternative. He suggested this could be a different water company or military pumps, but the area needs “outside action”, or nothing is going to change.
South East Water incident manager Steve Andrews said: “We are very sorry to all our customers in Kent and Sussex who have been experiencing issues with their water supply. Our focus is entirely on returning supplies to our customers as soon as possible.
“We are seeing an increase in leaks and burst water mains around our supply area after the recent freeze thaw. However we have prepared for this by having extra technicians available across Kent and Sussex, finding and fixing the leaks, and prioritising repairs.
“Our priority is improving South East Water in the future. We are strategically focused on our business plan and committed to delivering the infrastructure investment needed. This will improve our resilience as we face the challenges of climate change and population growth.”
Water minister Emma Hardy said these latest shortages highlight why the government is prioritising investment in infrastructure.
She said: “This is entirely unacceptable. I held meetings with the water companies and local resilience forums over the weekend, and am meeting with them again today, to restore supplies as quickly as possible, prioritising vulnerable customers and essential public services.
“Action by this government means compensation rates have increased for customers and businesses affected by disruption. It underlines why this government is prioritising investment in infrastructure to improve the resilience of our water system.”
An Ofwat spokesperson said: “We are concerned that residents in Kent and Sussex are without water again, and are working closely with the Drinking Water Inspectorate, which is the lead regulator for this latest supply interruption, to ensure that regulation and enforcement is aligned.
“Ofwat already has an active investigation into South East Water related to its supply resilience, and we have met with the company to discuss these latest incidents as part of that investigation.
“We will review all of the evidence before taking a decision on what further action may be required into whether the company has met its legal obligations set out in its licence relating to customer care, including with further potential enforcement action.”
