Water supply issue 'improving' but not yet fixed

Many of the 500 Kent properties that have had an ongoing water supply issue for six days have had their supply "fully restored", according to a water company.

On Wednesday, South East Water said up to 3,000 customers in Whitstable, Seasalter and surrounding areas had no water or low pressure due to the recent heatwave.

Customers in Seasalter and Wraik Hill now have their supplies back, according to a company statement on Monday evening.

It said: "Customers in Yorkletts may have low pressure and intermittent supplies as we're using tankers to inject water into the area's network."

A spokesperson said: "We're really sorry that we've not been able to fully restore service to all customers in these remaining areas as yet, but our teams are continuing their work to bring back supplies as quickly as possible.

"We know the past six days have been extremely frustrating and distressing to our customers and we're very sorry for this."

The company said it was continuing its work to remove an airlock in a key pipeline between drinking water storage tanks near Canterbury and Whitstable.

It said "as a precaution" a bottled water station would be reopening for customers at Sainsbury's in Reeves Way in Chestfield at 09:00 BST on Tuesday.

Douglas Whitfield, the company's water supply director, told BBC Radio Kent customers would be compensated "in due course".

He said: "This is not the service we want to give to customers... it's been a very challenging week."

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