Homes without water after main bursts twice in day

The issue has now been fixed, says South East Water

Homes in Kent have been left without water after a pipe burst twice within a few hours.

South East Water said just after 07:00 BST on Saturday that some customers on Tonbridge Road in Barming, near Maidstone, were experiencing no water or low pressure due to a burst main.

After saying they had fixed the issue at 18:00, the water supplier said a "few hours later" another burst happened on the same main, leaving customers with water supply issues into Sunday.

The problem has since been resolved, according to South East Water.

About 30 properties in the immediate vicinity were effected, it said.

"We are sorry to our customers and drivers who have been affected by this incident," said South East Water's distribution manager Garth Haselgrove.

It comes after South East Water put in place a hosepipe ban for households in Kent, East Sussex and West Sussex to ensure there was enough drinking water supply for everyone.