Power Cut Sparks Water Crisis for 8,000 Homes and a Hospital
A major power outage on Friday has wreaked havoc at a South East Water treatment plant, forcing the site to shut down. The blackout hit water supplies to 8,000 homes, local businesses, and a hospital across parts of Kent and East Sussex.
Water Stations Set Up Across Affected Areas
Technicians have been battling round the clock to fix the damage at the complex treatment plant.
To ease the crisis, South East Water has established three bottled water distribution points:
- The Fowlers Car Park, Rye Road, Hawkhurst
- Dale Hill Hotel and Golf Club, Wadhurst
- Northiam Village Hall, Frewen Close, Rye
These stations will stay open until 9pm today to help residents and businesses cope with the shortage.
Priority Service Supports Vulnerable Customers
South East Water is actively delivering bottled water directly to vulnerable people on their Priority Services Register.
“We’re very sorry to our customers in Matfield, Goudhurst, Pembury, Kilndown, Hawkhurst, Northiam, Sandhurst, and nearby areas still facing low water pressure or no water,” said Nick Bell, Incident Manager at South East Water.
“The power outage triggered multiple failures at our treatment plant, and while our skilled technicians have been working 24/7 to fix it, the site’s large scale means repairs are taking time.”
“Because the plant has been offline for several days, our reservoir of treated water has seriously depleted, damaging supplies.”
“Our Priority Services guarantee that the most vulnerable receive as much support as possible during this crisis. Anyone in need can register at southeastwater.co.uk/priority.”
What Customers Need to Know
- Water stations open today until 9pm at the locations listed above.
- Technicians remain on-site working non-stop to restore full supply.
- Register for South East Water’s Priority Service if you require extra help.
Residents are urged to stay patient as crews fight to get water flowing again.
