Bottled water sites will remain open ‘as a precaution’ today
South East Water staff handing out bottled water at a collection point (Image: Gareth Fuller/PA)
Water has been restored to most homes across Kent and Sussex after almost a week of disruption, including to the 6,500 properties in Tunbridge Wells. However, customers have been warned by South East Water (SEW) there may be some lower pressure throughout the day, as water levels continue to build this morning (January 16).
Approximately 320 properties in Bidborough are still affected by low water levels, with tankers being used to keep water flowing. Bottled water sites in Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone and Bidborough will remain open “as a precaution” today, the company said.
SEW has blamed this latest crisis, which began on Saturday (January 10), on Storm Goretti causing burst pipes and power cuts. At the height of the incident, the company reported 30,000 customers across the two counties were without water or experiencing low water pressure.
The beleaguered water firm has faced heavy criticism from MPs and the public as the outage came on the heels of a similar incident during December, during which 24,000 people in Tunbridge Wells were left without drinking water for two weeks. This morning, SEW’s incident manager Mathew Dean said: “Water supplies have now been restored to the 6,500 properties in Tunbridge Wells area.
“Some customers may be experiencing low pressure as the water levels continue to build this morning throughout the area’s pipeline network.” He added: “Continuous supplies have been restored to the town after we implemented our recovery plan which involved keeping local booster pumps switched off for 36 hours so our drinking water storage tank could fill.
“We are very sorry to every single one of our customers who have been affected. We know and understand how difficult going without water for such a long period of time is and how difficult it makes everyday life.”
Ofwat announced on Thursday (January 15) it was launching an investigation into whether the supplier had breached its licence condition by failing to comply with customer service standards obligations and offering appropriate support to affected customers during supply interruptions. If the regulator decides SEW has breached the conditions and should be stripped of the licence, the supplier could fall into a special administration regime until a new buyer is found.
If Ofwat rules that the supplier is in breach, but does not revoke the licence, penalties can include a fine of 10 per cent of the firm’s annual turnover.
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