A major incident has been declared after around 30,000 homes in South East England were left without water, leaving residents and public services struggling to cope.
According to British media reports, areas including Tunbridge Wells, Canterbury, Maidstone, and East Grinstead have been without water for as long as five days, with schools and libraries across the region forced to close due to the lack of running water.
South East Water has blamed the disruption on freezing conditions and Storm Goretti.
A spokesperson told The Guardian: "Freezing conditions have caused burst pipes and the storm made the company unable to treat water at the usual rate."
"Our drinking water storage tanks across the counties are running low following an outbreak of leaks and burst water mains after the recent cold weather. As a result, about 30,000 properties across parts of Kent and Sussex may be experiencing no water, intermittent supply or low pressure. This includes 16,500 properties in East Grinstead, with the remainder spread across parts of Kent, including Tunbridge Wells, Headcorn and intermittently across our Maidstone system," the spokesperson added.
The Kent County Council has now declared a major incident.
Council leader Linden Kemkaran said: "A major incident has now been declared in Kent on the basis that more households and settings have been impacted in the last 24 hours and because we are putting additional arrangements in place to prepare for further potential disruption."
Environment Minister Mary Creagh said she had met South East Water executives to express her concern.
"I'm deeply concerned that water supply issues in parts of Kent and West Sussex have deteriorated, with several areas affected. I've just met South East Water to make clear my disappointment and stressed the need for urgent action to restore supplies," she said.
