"At the end of November the local water treatment centre, which had been flagged as at risk by the regulator in 2024, was forced to shut down, leaving 24,000 households without water for two weeks. The Drinking Water Inspectorate later said this outage was foreseen and was due to a lack of maintenance at the site. Now, for many here, it's Groundhog day, with more than 30,000 homes across Sussex and Kent spending up to six days without water after South East Water blamed freezing weather for leaks in its ageing pipe network."
""We can't wash up, every day we have to decide what to cook based on how much water we have. We've been showering at the local gym," said Gary, who has faced intermittent water for a week. "Sometimes the water comes on for an hour or two in the mornings. Sometimes too late for my wife to shower before she goes to work. And without being too disgusting, our toilet is currently full," he said."
"His in-laws are in the red zone with no water and have been showering at his house. Standing in the rain at the local rugby club, where water was being handed out, he said: Vulnerable people are emailing in just terrible stories, people with young children, elderly people, people who are ill, people who just come out of hospital. You know, it's a real disaster not having water."
More than 30,000 homes across Sussex, Kent and Tunbridge Wells experienced repeated water outages caused by aging pipes and inadequate maintenance. A water treatment centre shut at the end of November after being flagged at risk, leaving 24,000 households without water for two weeks, with the Drinking Water Inspectorate saying the outage was foreseen due to lack of maintenance. South East Water blamed freezing weather for leaks in its ageing network, leaving many without water for up to six days. Schools and businesses closed, pubs and restaurants shut, vulnerable residents struggled, and people resorted to gyms and friends' homes to shower.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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