South East Water warns supply could be cut to thousands of homes as reservoirs run dry amid 'extremely high demand'

South East Water has warned supplies could be cut to its 18,000 homes across Kent after suffering from "extremely high demand" over the last few days.

The company advised customers to prepare for imminent supply disruptions with a top executive warning reservoir levels have dropped significantly.

Fuelled by scorching heatwave temperatures, residents' consumption has surged by millions more litres per day for nearly an entire week.

The troubled utility company confirmed some households could experience a complete loss of water and recommended households in affected regions to set aside tubs of water while possible.

The company distributed 670 million litres on Monday alone, exceeding typical daily volumes by nearly 100 million litres.

Matthew Dean, the head of operations control at South East Water, said: "Extremely high demand for tap water in this very hot weather means our stored water reservoirs are running very low in areas across Kent."

Mr Dean added: "We are doing everything we can to get water into our reservoirs."

Coastal communities in Herne Bay and Whitstable have been identified among the worst-hit locations, with nearby storage facilities reaching what the company described as critical capacity.

Stopping short of an outright hosepipe ban, the company has urged residents who retain access to running water to restrict use to essential activities, specifically, drinking, cooking, and washing.

The company apologised for the disruption, adding that teams were working urgently to address the situation.

According to Met Office data, April was one of the driest on record, with rainfall reaching just 38 per cent of normal levels.

South East Water also closed four bottled stations, citing supply issues.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

• Objections mount after church opens in street without planning permission
• Homeowner given date to demolish 40ft outbuilding at £800k home amid council planning row
• Landlords threaten to BAN children amid fury over 'feral kids running amok in beer gardens'

The affected areas were Challock Village Hall, Blind Lane, Challock, Ashford; Kingsnorth School, Church Hill, Kingsnorth; Altira Business Park, 6 The Boulevard, Herne Bay and Reeves Way Sainsburys, Chestfield, Whitstable.

They have since reopened at 9am this morning.

The water company added: "We are asking our customers to use water sparingly during this time in order to allow the best chance for our reservoirs to recover their levels as soon as possible."

This latest crisis follows closely on the heels of a bank holiday weekend incident that left more than 1,000 customers without water.

The outage was triggered by a malfunctioning pumping station at Charing in the North Downs foothills during what proved to be the hottest May weekend ever recorded.

The utility's difficulties extend back further still.

Towards the end of 2025, approximately 24,000 properties across Kent and East Sussex were without running water for nearly two weeks, with local businesses suffering estimated losses of up to £8million.

South East Water has attributed its current struggles to the combination of heatwave conditions and the exceptionally dry spring, though critics argue the pattern of repeated failures points to deeper systemic problems.

The turmoil has prompted significant changes at the top of the organisation.

Chief executive Dave Hinton and chairman Chris Train both have departed in recent weeks following sustained criticism.

Despite Hinton having assessed his company's handling of previous incidents as "eight out of 10," members of the environment select committee declared they lacked confidence in the leadership and accused executives of fostering a "culture of unaccountability."

Rosie Duffield, the MP for Canterbury, said: "I am surprised and disappointed that South East Water find themselves in this position yet again, and rather than lurching from crisis to crisis, it suggests that forward planning for increasingly warm temperatures is vital."

Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter