West Kent Homes Endure Third Day Without Water After Burst Main

Thousands of homes in West Kent, encompassing areas such as Brenchley, Matfield, Pembury, and Lamberhurst, have been without water since Thursday morning. The disruption stems from a significant fault on a key main originating from the Bewl Water Treatment Works in East Sussex.

Repair Efforts and Ongoing Challenges

South East Water (SEW) confirmed that the burst pipe was repaired on Thursday afternoon. However, the restoration of supplies has been hampered by airlocks within the system, particularly affecting properties situated on higher ground in locations like Brenchley and Pembury. SEW issued a further apology, acknowledging the overnight issues caused by airlocks and assuring customers that technicians are working "as quickly as they can" to resolve the problem.

To mitigate the impact, two bottled water stations were established on Saturday morning at Matfield Village Hall and the Tesco Superstore in Pembury.

Regulatory Scrutiny

This incident follows an investigation launched by regulator Ofwat into SEW in January, prompted by repeated supply failures impacting thousands of homes. In March, SEW chief executive David Hinton addressed East Sussex councillors, attributing earlier widespread supply failures to freeze-thaw conditions and subsequent Storm Goretti. At the height of those issues, approximately 30,000 properties experienced prolonged water outages, leading to calls for Mr Hinton's resignation.