Drinking water supply disruption affected tens of thousands of households across parts of Kent and Sussex after operational failures led to widespread outages, prompting a local authority to declare a major incident.
Operational issues disrupt water supplies
South East Water reported that a combination of severe weather impacts and a power failure at a pumping facility contributed to the disruption. Several postcode areas around East Grinstead, Frant and Tunbridge Wells experienced either complete loss of supply or intermittent service.
Water tankers and bottled water distribution points were deployed across affected communities as part of emergency response measures. Customers were advised that full restoration of supplies could take several days, depending on reservoir recovery and operational stabilisation.
Major incident declared by local authorities
Kent County Council confirmed that a major incident had been declared after the number of affected households increased and contingency arrangements were expanded to support vulnerable residents and essential services.
Schools, libraries and some healthcare services across parts of Kent and Sussex were temporarily closed or adapted operations due to the lack of reliable water supply. Hospitals implemented contingency plans to ensure continuity of critical services.
Community impact and governance scrutiny
The disruption triggered widespread concern among residents, with many highlighting the challenges posed by prolonged water outages to daily activities and hygiene. The incident has also renewed scrutiny of water sector governance and accountability, particularly in relation to infrastructure maintenance and emergency preparedness.
South East Water stated that engineering teams were working to restore supplies as quickly as possible, while acknowledging that recovery had been slower than anticipated due to system constraints.
Resilience and future preparedness
The incident underscores the growing importance of resilience planning for drinking water infrastructure, particularly as utilities face increasing operational pressures from extreme weather events, ageing assets and energy dependency.
Ensuring robust contingency planning, transparent communication and infrastructure investment remains critical to maintaining service reliability and public confidence in essential water services.
