Chaos in Polegate and Willingdon as Burst Water Main Leaves Thousands Dry!
Water Crisis Hits Local Communities
Residents of Polegate and Willingdon are grappling with little to no water after a burst main wreaked havoc on supplies. South East Water crews battled through the night to fix the damage and bring fresh water back to thousands of homes.
By 9:14am, the situation had worsened with Willingdon Community School forced to close due to the water outage. Meanwhile, hundreds waited anxiously for bottled water deliveries which arrived but couldn’t be handed out immediately, pending official clearance.
Bottled Water Arrives – But Where to Distribute?
At 9:44am, a pallet of bottled water landed at Polegate War Memorial Recreation Ground, though South East Water was hunting a better spot for a proper water station. By 10:08am more bottled water was offloaded and the water company promised most customers would see supplies return that morning.
Road Closures and Environmental Concerns
Work continued thick and fast as of 11:08am with part of Wannock Road shut down so teams could track down the exact burst pipe location. South East Water believed they were close to the culprit and were diverting water to homes still dry.
Just five minutes later, water was being pumped into Wannock Mill Stream. The Environment Agency South East was quickly notified and vowed to keep a close eye on pollution risks.
Ongoing Repairs and Community Thanks
By 2:44pm, Wannock Road remained shut both ways as crews hammered on with repairs.
Shout-out to Nathan Dunbar for his dedicated social media updates throughout this water disaster. Residents hope normal service returns soon after this major disruption.
