Chaos in Tunbridge Wells as Water Treatment Plant Shuts Down – 6,000 Homes Left Dry
More than 6,000 Tunbridge Wells residents have been left without tap water after the Pembury water treatment plant was shut down following a “bad chemical batch” incident. The disruption has caused frustration across the town as locals scramble for supplies.
Emergency Water Supplies Deployed – No One Left Thirsty
South East Water has stepped in with emergency measures, assuring residents that no emergency water stations have run dry. Bottled water is being handed out freely, with the Tunbridge Wells Sports Centre operating a distribution point until 10pm tonight. Households can collect up to 12 bottles each.
“The water currently in supply is safe and does not require boiling,” said Matthew Dean, the company’s incident manager, who also apologised for the inconvenience.
Traffic Chaos as Locals Flock to Water Stations – Police Called In
The outage has sparked major traffic gridlock around collection points. Police have been deployed to manage the crowds and keep order while queues form at emergency water stations.
South East Water is working round the clock. Teams are transferring water from other areas and replacing the faulty chemical batch to restore supplies as soon as possible.
Priority Care for Vulnerable and Essential Services
- 1,700 vulnerable customers on the Priority Services Register have had bottled water delivered directly to their homes.
- Care homes have received emergency water supplies.
- Tunbridge Wells Hospital is being supported with a water tanker to keep vital services running.
Local MP Mike Martin, who is also affected by the outage, tweeted: “Site moving quickly, further sites being set up in town centre.”
The Black Horse pub on Camden Road was forced to shut at midnight due to no running water.
Water Crisis to End by 6pm
South East Water expects to fix the issue by 6pm today. Until then, residents are urged to use bottled water stations and stay patient as emergency crews work tirelessly to restore normal service.
