The water crisis gripping Tunbridge Wells has now entered its fifth day, with an estimated 18,000 homes still severely affected and South East Water (SEW) unable to provide a firm timeline for full restoration.
The ongoing disruption, caused by a chemical blunder at the Pembury Water Treatment Works, has been compounded by a frustrating recurrence of the water quality issue.
The problem originated on Saturday when a “water quality issue”—reportedly a bad batch of coagulant chemicals—forced the complete shutdown of the Pembury Water Treatment Works. While SEW had initially hoped to restore supplies, a new statement on Tuesday confirmed a significant setback.
“Whilst in the process of slowly recharging the network with water today, we saw a recurrence of the water quality issue,” a spokesperson for SEW stated. This failure has forced a pause in the full restoration plan, pushing back the timeline indefinitely and leading to intermittent supply issues for some customers who had briefly seen their taps running again. The incident is now under investigation by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI).
The lack of running water has had a devastating impact across the town. Numerous schools and businesses have been forced to close their doors, leading to widespread chaos for parents and local commerce. Most critically, the crisis has reportedly severely impacted vulnerable residents and care homes, many of whom rely on a continuous supply for health and sanitation. SEW has set up bottled water stations across the town and is prioritising deliveries to customers on its Priority Services Register, though reports of long queues and delays have added to public anger.
South East Water has issued an apology for the continued difficulties but remains unable to commit to a date when all 18,000 affected properties will be fully back in supply. Residents are urged to continue using bottled water for drinking and essential sanitation until the network is fully stabilised.