Residents of Tunbridge Wells are enduring a sixth day without water, the second such crisis in weeks, as South East Water blames freezing weather for leaks in its ageing pipe network. More than 30,000 homes across Sussex and Kent have been affected, with many left without running water for up to six days.
Local MP Mike Martin, a Liberal Democrat, returned from parliament after reports of problems at water bottle supply centres. He described the situation as a 'real disaster', with vulnerable people including the elderly, young children, and those recently discharged from hospital struggling to cope. Schools have closed, and businesses such as pubs and restaurants have been forced to shut their doors.
Residents have described the ordeal as 'pretty grim'. Gary, who has faced intermittent water for a week, said his family has been showering at the local gym and using bottled water for cooking. Kama Bass, 53, has had almost no water for a week and expressed stress over the amount of plastic bottles required. Hugh Wilson, 65, said caring for his disabled daughter has been very difficult with limited water.
The Bull pub in Forest Road has closed for the second time in weeks, with a sign stating 'due to no water, we have no option but to close.' A local cafe unaffected by the outage has been acting as a makeshift creche for children whose schools are closed. One grandmother helping with childcare called the situation 'bad management'.
South East Water CEO Dave Hinton, who earned a base salary of £400,000 plus a £115,000 bonus last year, has been largely absent from media. He told a parliamentary committee he avoids interviews during crises because questions about his pay are a 'distraction'. The company previously faced a two-week outage in November affecting 24,000 homes, which the Drinking Water Inspectorate said was due to a lack of maintenance.
