Kent Water Supply Fully Restored After Three-Day Disruption

Water supply to thousands of properties across Kent, including Brenchley, Matfield, Pembury, and Lamberhurst, has been fully restored. The disruption, which left some residents without water for three days, stemmed from a burst pipe at the Bewl Water Treatment Works in East Sussex.

Timeline of Disruption

The issues began on Thursday morning. Although the pipe was repaired that afternoon, South East Water (SEW) initially stated that most of the 5,850 affected properties would have their supply restored by Friday. However, residents on higher ground, particularly in Brenchley and Pembury, continued to experience problems due to localised airlocks.

Bottled water stations were subsequently opened on Saturday at Matfield Village Hall and the Tesco Superstore in Pembury. By Sunday, SEW confirmed that all affected areas were believed to be back in supply, and the company issued an apology for the significant inconvenience caused.

Ongoing Scrutiny

This incident follows an investigation launched by regulator Ofwat into South East Water in January, prompted by repeated supply failures impacting thousands of homes. In March, SEW Chief Executive David Hinton attributed earlier widespread outages to freeze-thaw conditions causing burst pipes, followed by Storm Goretti. During that period, some 30,000 properties were left without water for several days.