South East Water Main Burst Disrupts 6,000 Homes in Kent

A significant disruption has affected nearly 6,000 households in Kent following a burst pipe from a treatment facility. The incident, which occurred in Pembury, Matfield, Brenchley, Horsmonden, and nearby areas, has led to reduced water pressure or complete outages due to a fault in a primary water main near Bewl Water Treatment Works in East Sussex.

Repairs were completed by 16:00 BST, with water gradually returning to affected regions. However, the company warned that full service restoration might take longer. “We are proceeding with a controlled and measured approach to restore water to the system, avoiding further complications,” stated a spokesperson.

Previously, the firm noted that the repair process had been more challenging than anticipated. The spokesperson added: “We anticipate all impacted customers will have their supplies fully reinstated later tonight (Thursday).” In response to the crisis, bottled water stations have been set up at Matfield Village Hall and the Pembury Tesco Superstore, remaining open until 21:00 BST.

Deliveries of bottled water are also being coordinated for vulnerable residents. Meanwhile, Lamberhurst St Mary’s Church of England VC Primary School has closed, citing the lack of hot water as a safety concern. “Remaining open is no longer safe,” the school noted in a statement. Pembury Primary School has followed suit, shutting its doors.

“No water means losing business. For a butcher, it’s a full shutdown,” said Craig Hammond, who manages a local meat shop. “Easter is our peak season, and without fresh supplies, we can’t operate.”

Robert Thompson, a resident in Lamberhurst Quarter, expressed frustration over the service failures. “Our water supply keeps failing, and we’ve all stocked up on 25-litre containers just in case,” he remarked. “It’s not satisfactory.”

South East Water’s incident manager, Steve Benton, explained that the repair delay caused storage tank levels to drop. “This means a larger area could soon lose water,” they noted. “Our teams worked overnight, but the complexity of the issue has slowed progress.”

In March, the company’s CEO, David Hinton, told East Sussex councillors that the earlier supply failures were linked to freeze-thaw conditions and the Storm Goretti. At the height of the problem, around 30,000 properties had no water, with some taps remaining dry for several days. This led to calls for Hinton’s resignation.

Ofwat, the regulatory body, initiated an investigation into South East Water in January following repeated supply issues. The BBC Sussex team encourages readers to share story ideas via email or WhatsApp for further updates.