Tunbridge disgusted with instructions to boil water

Royal Tunbridge Wells residents say they are “livid” after thousands were told they must boil their tap water once it returns after going almost a week without supplies.

- BRYONY GOOCH

South East Water (SEW) has apologised after 24,000 customers across Tunbridge Wells, Pembury, Frant and Eridge began experiencing a loss of water or low pressure on Saturday.

On Wednesday, the company said the “water quality issues” that caused the initial shutdown had returned. They have decided to continue pumping water so that people can flush their toilets and shower, but the water cannot be drunk without being boiled first for the next 10 days.

Alexandra Barnes, a mother of three, told The Independent that she and her neighbours had spent almost a week collecting water in rain butts to flush their toilets with buckets.

“Obviously that’s not very pleasant and it doesn’t really flush it through properly,” she said. “I’ve got little boys, who aren’t particularly good at aiming, so it’s all very difficult to keep clean and nice.

“My daughter’s nursery is local, so [it] hasn’t had a water supply, so has been unable to open,” she added. “That’s tough because we’re juggling work. I’m a family lawyer, and my husband manages a plumber’s merchant. So, we’ve both got pretty full-on jobs, and we haven’t been able to do them properly.” Martin Brice, county councillor for South Tunbridge Wells, said he'd met people who were also flushing their toilets with rainwater, of which he said: "The nearest analogy I can think of is going back to the Second World War, really.