• Bottle-filling stations open in Kent towns of Pembury and Crowborough.
• Low water pressure was caused by a burst, according to South East Water.
• Since December 18’s thaw, thousands more homes have been affected.

After a week of inconvenience, some homes in Sussex and Kent still lack water. The Kent communities of Tunbridge Wells and Staplehurst, according to South East Water, are still experiencing issues.

Up to 16:30 GMT on December 24, bottle-filling stations were open in the Kent towns of Pembury and Crowborough.

Low water pressure was caused by a burst, according to South East Water, in West Sussex’s Crawley Down, Turners Hill, and Selsfield.

Since a thaw on December 18 after a period of frigid weather, the firm claims that pipes have burst in thousands of houses.

Douglas Whitfield, South East Water incident director, said: “We are continuing to investigate and repair leaks and as soon as they are discovered, making repairs to bring those customers back into supply as quickly as possible.

“We’re still urging customers to use water wisely.”

Neil Greatorex, from West Hoathly, West Sussex, said: “Having got our water back yesterday, we have woken up to no water again, only now it’s Christmas Eve which makes the situation a whole lot worse.

“South East Water are now saying the completion time is 6am tomorrow.

“This situation is now so stressful it is seriously affecting the people in our village and surrounding areas.”

Hartley House Care Home in Cranbrook, Kent, has resorted to using baby wipes to keep residents clean, with staff at “breaking point”, according to deputy manager Claire Brodericak.

“This morning we were debating whether to cancel relatives coming for Christmas Day,” she said. “But due to Covid isolation we can’t do that to the residents.”

Businesses have also been affected, which has angered Adam Casettari, manager of the Kings Head in Staplehurst.

He said: “Every day it’s ‘it will be done, it’s been fixed’. Even this morning they said it was going to be fixed.

“I came down, tested all the water, still nothing, I’ve since found out that another pipe has burst somewhere so it’s going to be at least another day.”

Mims Davies, a Mid Sussex MP, tweeted that she had spoken to South East Water about the ongoing issues.

In a statement South East Water said: “We know that those who have been without water due to the bursts were off for an unacceptable period and we understand the concern this has caused, particularly in the run up to Christmas, and are sorry to all customers who have been affected.

“The network is continuing to stabilize and once that’s complete we will write to customers very soon regarding compensation.”

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