Thousands of residents in the British town of Whitstable, Kent, have been forced to queue for bottled water in 32-degree Celsius heat after 8,000 homes were left without water. South East Water reported that the outages stemmed from soaring temperatures over the bank holiday weekend, which drove extremely high demand and left reservoirs at a 'critical' level, according to incident manager Matthew Dean.
Chaotic Scenes at Water Collection Points
Images from the scene showed long queues of cars lining up for bottled water at a collection point near a Sainsbury's store on the edge of Whitstable. Vehicles stretched down the eastbound side of the A2990, snaking into the car park where attendants handed out multipacks of bottled water to those braving the heat. Dozens of people were seen carrying their supplies away under the blazing sun.
In Whitstable itself, many businesses were forced to close early due to the lack of water. Cafes and restaurants put up signs in their windows informing customers they could not open because they had no water supply.
Widespread Impact Across Kent
At least 14,000 people experienced low pressure or intermittent supply in areas including Tankerton, Ashford, Ulcombe, Cranbrook, Coxheath, Headcorn, Herne Bay, Charing, Challock, and Molash. The company had urged locals to use water only for essential purposes such as drinking, washing, and cooking, following supply issues over the bank holiday.
Despite the current crisis, South East Water has faced criticism over its leakage rates. During the 2024-25 period, the company had an average leakage rate of 104.8 million litres per day across its network, significantly higher than its target of 81 million litres per day. The company has acknowledged that the leakage problem has been worsening since at least 2019-20.
New Partnership to Oversee Water Resilience
In response, Kent County Council announced it will establish a new 'strategic partnership' to oversee water resilience in the region. The Kent Water Resilience Partnership will be chaired by council leader Linden Kemkaran and will include water companies, local authorities, regulators, and other stakeholders to investigate planning and performance, and understand how water issues in the county are being addressed.
Kemkaran stated: 'People across Kent are fed up with being left without water or having their supply disrupted, sometimes for days at a time, and not getting clear answers about what’s gone wrong or when it will be fixed. That’s simply not good enough.' She acknowledged that while the council does not have direct power over water companies, 'we do have a responsibility to stand up for Kent.'
She added: 'At the moment, responsibility is too fragmented and there is no single place where the whole system is being looked at. This partnership intends to change that. It will shine a light on the issues affecting Kent and make sure there is clear, open scrutiny of how those responsible are responding.'
The Daily Mail has contacted South East Water for comment.
