WHITSTABLE, England: Thousands of households in southeast England were left without water or facing low pressure during a record-breaking heatwave this week, as high demand followed a dry spring to expose the failings in Britain’s aging infrastructure.
The disruption affected over 20,000 people at its height, including around 8,000 left without supply in the coastal town of Whitstable, South East Water’s incident manager Matthew Dean said, with people queuing to secure emergency water supplies on Friday.
Britain, like much of Europe, has been hit by a heatwave in the last week, stoking demand for water, while well-below-average rainfall levels in March and April left some reservoirs under pressure, according to the Environment Agency.
Anger has built in recent years over the lack of investment in networks by privatised water companies, which has led to regular sewage spills.
In Whitstable, many businesses were forced to close during one of the busiest weeks in the year, coinciding with a school holiday.
