Hundreds still without water for fifth day

A company says water supplies are unlikely to be restored fully "until Monday at the earliest" as about 500 properties have experienced issues for the fifth day in a row.

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.

Some residents in the affected areas told the BBC how they felt "defeated" by the situation.

At about 18:45 BST, the company said supplies were slowly returning to customers in the Seasalter area, but they could be intermittent and the water pressure could be lower than normal.

A spokesperson for South East Water said work to remove the trapped air in its pipes was continuing on Sunday.

"Progress is slower than we'd like because reaching the pipe is extremely challenging due to its depth and the utilities which are close by," they added.

"We're also making some further changes to the way water flows around the area to try and restore supplies in Seasalter, although pressure may be lower than normal.

"This has to be done very gradually to avoid leaks and bursts."

The company added it had been "continuously tanking water into the storage tank near Whitstable to fill it up".

"However, it's not yet full enough to release the water to customers and maintain a consistent supply while work continues," the spokesperson said.

The company said the leak on Canterbury Road, Whitstable, outside The Two Brewers pub, was fixed on Saturday night under a road closure.

"Diversions will be in place to safely guide traffic around the affected area," the company added.

Two bottled water stations have opened: a drive-through at Sainsbury's, Reeves Way, Chestfield, Whitstable, CT5 3QS, and a walk-in service at 129C Faversham Road, Seasalter, Whitstable, CT5 4SD.

Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield said the situation was "not remotely acceptable".

"I am so angry that my constituents - some in their 90s - have still not got access to clean running water in July," she added.

The independent MP said South East Water did "not seem to be taking it as seriously as they should".

Faversham and Mid Kent's Conservative MP Helen Whately said the situation was "totally unacceptable".

"Farmers with livestock in desperate need of water tell me that they've called South East Water's emergency line but have still not had a delivery of water," she said.

"The situation is desperate for animals in this heat."

Marc Sims, incident manager at South East Water, said the company had been working with Whately's team and all livestock owners that had spoken to the company directly had been given water.

"We know on the surface it may look like we're not doing much, but behind-the-scenes there's an awful lot of work that has been, and continues to be, done to get drinking water back," he added.

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