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A severe disruption in Kent has left approximately 24,000 residents without a stable water supply, a situation expected to persist overnight, according to South East Water (SEW). The outage stems from a problem at Pembury Water Treatment Works, which ceased operation due to a defective batch of chemicals used in the treatment process.
South East Water initially issued an apology on Saturday to customers in the Tunbridge Wells area affected by either a total loss of water or significantly reduced pressure. The utility company has since revised its expected timeline for resolving the issue, now aiming to restore normal services by 06:00 GMT on Monday. Matthew Dean, SEW’s head of operations control, confirmed that a new chemical batch was acquired on Sunday, and quality control checks are underway.
Marc Sims, incident manager at SEW, explained the company’s ongoing efforts to mitigate the impact, stating, “We are continuing to move water around and tankering into the network to try to bring as many supplies back as possible.” He also confirmed the arrival of the new chemical supply and that related water quality testing is currently being conducted. In response to the crisis, bottled water distribution points have been established at key locations including Tunbridge Wells Sports Centre and Tonbridge’s Sovereign Way East Car Park. However, the latter was closed due to a local winter festival, with plans underway to open another station at RCP Parking in Tunbridge Wells once additional supplies arrive.
Local residents have expressed frustration over the inconvenience caused by the disruptions. Nicola Hodgson, living near the Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells, highlighted the challenges faced, especially for families: “We have two young children, aged five and seven, so [they] have decamped to their grandmothers for the moment, so we can get them something to drink and have working toilets.” Tunbridge Wells MP Mike Martin revealed that he too has been affected and has communicated directly with SEW’s chief executive. Speaking on X, he explained, “For those who are not aware, the problem has been caused by a bad batch of coagulant chemicals. A new set of chemicals have been procured and the team have been working through the night to clean out Pembury Treatment Works.”
The impact on local businesses is also significant. Teresa Barrett, who manages the Black Horse pub on Camden Road, stated that without running water since midnight, the establishment was forced to close, saying, “Sadly this means it is illegal for us to open. If I could, I would be opening.” She emphasized the financial strain caused by the closure, noting, “Things are hard enough for hospitality right now, businesses in this sector would have prepared for table bookings today and lost an extreme amount of money, [and] staff will still need to be paid.” Residents such as Peter Vincent of Grove Hill have also noticed the water supply issues firsthand, describing to BBC Radio Kent how “the cistern wasn’t refilling properly” and expressing concerns about the strain on the water system as demand returns to normal levels
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