Overview
- Kent County Council and the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum declared a major incident after disruptions expanded over the past day.
- South East Water reports about 30,000 properties without normal supply, including 16,500 in East Grinstead and others in areas such as Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone and Canterbury.
- The company cites Storm Goretti, freeze–thaw bursts and a pumping-plant power cut, and says reservoir levels may not recover enough to restore supplies until Tuesday.
- Bottled-water sites are operating at Tunbridge Wells Rugby Football Club, Headcorn Aerodrome, East Grinstead Sports Club and Queensway Car Park, with additional points opened in East Grinstead, alongside tanker support and deliveries to priority customers.
- School closures and virtual hospital appointments have been triggered, while ministers, Ofwat and local MPs intensify scrutiny of the utility’s resilience and communications.