Thousands of homes unable to cook, shower or flush toilets due to water outage

Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleWater bottles being handed out at a water collection point at a Sainsbury’s near Whitstable, Kent (PA)Thousands of homes in Kent, including Whitstable and Herne Bay, have suffered severe water outages, leaving residents without essential services like cooking, showering, and flushing toilets during a heatwave. The prolonged disruption has forced numerous local businesses, such as cafes and pubs, to close, leading to significant financial losses and concerns for the local economy. Residents have expressed anger over South East Water's poor communication and the inconvenience of long queues for bottled water, with many criticising the company's handling of the crisis. South East Water attributes the outages to exceptionally high demand due to the hot weather, which has overwhelmed its capacity to treat and supply water to affected areas. Local councillors have called for government intervention, while Kent County Council plans increased scrutiny of water infrastructure, and the water minister is discussing support and compensation for those affected. In fullHaving no water is causing misery and threatening businesses, say Kent residentsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

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