Water supply issues resolved after three days

Water supply issues in an area of Kent have been resolved after properties were left without water for three days following a burst pipe at a treatment works.

People in Brenchley, Matfield, Pembury, Lamberhurst and surrounding villages began having issues on Thursday morning due to the fault on a key main from Bewl Water Treatment Works, in East Sussex.

On Friday, South East Water (SEW) said water would be restored to most of the 5,850 affected properties by the end of the day but it was not until Sunday that the company said it believed all affected areas were back in supply.

The firm apologised for the disruption and said it was continuing to release isolated air pockets in the system.

The burst pipe was fixed on Thursday afternoon and SEW said a majority of the affected properties had supplies returned on Friday.

However, it said people on higher land, particularly in Brenchley and Pembury, continued to face issues due to localised airlocks.

Two bottled water stations, at Matfield Village Hall and Tesco Superstore in Pembury, were opened on Saturday morning.

Regulator Ofwat opened an investigation into the water firm in January after repeated supply failures to thousands of homes.

In March, SEW chief executive David Hinton told councillors in East Sussex that the widespread supply failures earlier in the year had been the result of freeze-thaw conditions causing burst pipes, followed by Storm Goretti.

Some 30,000 properties had no water at the height of the issues, with many taps dry for multiple days, during which Hinton faced calls to resign.

Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.