UK Heatwave: Village residents enter fifth day without water

South East Water said a tanker had been brought in to help refill the water network in Challock and Molash

Some residents in two Kent villages are entering a fifth day with no water or low pressure.

Properties in Challock and Molash first saw disruption to their water supply at 14:00 BST on 16 July.

On Tuesday night, South East Water apologised and said a water tanker had been brought in to help refill the network but supply may still be intermittent.

It comes during a UK-wide heatwave which saw record breaking temperatures.

Ashford MP Damian Green said: "The length of time this is taking in unacceptable. I have asked South East Water to sort it out as fast as possible and will continue to do so."

A bottled water station at Challock Village Hall reopened at 08:00 BST.

On Tuesday, one resident claimed pumping stations had been unable to cope, and said the small villages on top of the Downs were considered "not that important".

Speaking to BBC Radio Kent, head of water resources at South East Water Lee Dance apologised to residents in Challock and Molash saying the company "fully understand their frustrations" and is doing "all we can to restore those supplies as quickly as we can".

Mr Dance added: "We've been facing very high demands for probably the last two weeks, during the hottest day yesterday we pumped an additional 140 million litres of water into our system.

"That's the same as adding four towns around the size of Maidstone to the demands for our network. We're asking people just to be mindful and look at how they can help us by reducing their demand."

Meanwhile, residents in a number of other towns and villages in west Kent also struggled with water supplies.

Residents in the following areas were affected by low water pressure or no water supply on Tuesday evening:

• Seven Mile Lane

• Wateringbury

• Bow Hill

• West & East Peckham

• Yalding Village

• Paddock Wood

• Hadlow

The company apologised for the disruption but said "customers in Faversham and the surrounding area, as well as Paddock Wood, Wateringbury and Yalding who were affected by supply issues yesterday have their water restored", but some may still have intermittent supply.

It added: "Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, a number of areas across Kent experienced low pressure or no water for periods yesterday as water was being used at a quicker rate than we could supply" and reminded customers that bottled water stations were open in Borough Green and at East Peckham Village Hall.

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