Water is expected to begin returning to more than 3,000 properties in Kent from 11:00 BST today, Friday, 7 August, according to South East Water (SEW). The company stated that supplies would be restored to properties in Sutton Valence, Headcorn, Ulcombe, and Kingswood after storage levels recovered.
The interruption on Thursday affected 3,290 properties because water was being drawn faster than it could be treated and distributed, necessitating a temporary halt to rebuild reserves. Incident manager Matthew Dean apologised, stating that all SEW sites were at maximum capacity and the firm was tankering water directly into reservoirs and pipelines, as well as deploying specialist teams to fix leaks faster.
Residents in Ulcombe, near Maidstone, have experienced "ongoing water supply issues" since 24 July due to high demand, SEW reported. Bottled water stations have reopened at Morrisons on Sutton Road in Maidstone, Mote Park Leisure Centre, and the Mercure Hotel in Hollingbourne, operating from 07:00 to 22:00 today.
SEW has faced scrutiny recently due to multiple supply failures in Kent and Sussex, alongside a hosepipe ban for 2.4 million customers. Regulator Ofwat has instructed the company to invest £30.5m in infrastructure improvements and has proposed a further £22m fine for issues affecting 286,000 people between 2020 and 2023. SEW's annual report indicates £1.3bn in debt, with figures showing over 100 million litres of water wasted daily through leaks.