22,500 homes remain without water for third day in Kent as schools forced to close
A number of schools in the area did not open on Monday morning due to lack of water
More than 22,000 homes remain without water for a third day after an issue at a water treatment site in Kent.
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South East Water (SEW) has apologised to customers in and around Tunbridge Wells, Kent, who have experienced a loss of water or low pressure since Saturday night.
On Monday, they have indicated that water supplies will “gradually return” to customers throughout the day.
The incident began on the evening of November 29, after a “water quality issue” at the Pembury Water Treatment Works with around 24,000 homes reportedly affected at the height of the incident.
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SEW’s incident manager Matthew Dean said: “I’m very sorry to all our customers in Tunbridge Wells who remain without water or have low pressure this morning.
“Water supplies will gradually return to customers’ taps throughout the day as we slowly refill the town’s pipeline network and clear air locks.
“As water supplies return, customers may experience discolouration. This is normal and happens when naturally-occurring deposits, which settle and build up within our network of water mains over time, are disturbed.”
While some homes have seen their water return, roughly 22,500 remain affected on Monday morning, the SEW confirmed.
Three bottled water stations have been opened across Tunbridge Wells by the company until supplies return.
Those stations are at Tunbridge Wells Sports Centre, Odeon Cinema Knights Way and RCP Parking.
The company also said it has tankered more than three million litres of water into the town to keep supplies running for some customers.
It is understood that the problem was caused by a “bad” batch of chemicals, and a new batch was received on Sunday.