A significant water supply failure has plunged the Kent town of Tunbridge Wells into a third day of severe disruption, affecting approximately 24,000 residents and forcing the closure of numerous schools.
Schools Forced to Close Doors
The ongoing crisis, which began late on Saturday 29th November, has left households and businesses without reliable drinking water, flushing toilets, or functioning showers. In response, several educational institutions have had to shut their gates.
Primary schools closed on Monday 1st December include:
- St Peter’s Church of England Primary School
- Claremont Primary School
- St James’ Primary School
- St Augustine’s Catholic Primary School
- St. John’s Church of England Primary School
- Skinners’ Kent Primary School
- Skinners’ Temple Grove
Secondary schools have also been impacted, with four making provisions for remote learning:
- The Skinners’ Kent Academy announced its closure on Sunday.
- The Skinners’ School is closed to pupils.
- Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys has shut its St John’s Road campus.
- Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School is closed but expressed confidence in reopening on Tuesday.
MP Slams 'Absolute Disaster' and Disputed Timelines
Local MP Mike Martin has described the situation as an "absolute disaster" and publicly challenged the utility company's recovery plan. South East Water (SEW) initially stated that supply should return by 2pm on Monday 1st December.
However, Mr Martin posted on social media platform X that he has "no confidence that everyone will have their water back on by 2pm". He advised residents to plan for the possibility that the last homes might not see restoration until Monday evening.
The root cause has been identified as a faulty batch of coagulant chemicals at the Pembury Water Treatment Works, which necessitated a full shutdown. SEW has apologised and stated that new chemicals have been procured and teams worked through Saturday night to clean the facility.
Chaos at Water Stations and Business Disruption
The response on the ground has been criticised as inadequate. Three bottled water stations were set up at:
- Tunbridge Wells Sports Centre on St John’s Road
- RCP Parking’s Upper Pantiles car park
- The Odeon cinema on Knights Way
MP Mike Martin stated provision has been "wholly insufficient for the demand". The St John’s Road station temporarily ran out of water on Sunday morning, and residents reported long queues and traffic chaos. One social media user highlighted initial confusion, with a station mistakenly set up in Tonbridge, five miles away.
Local businesses are also suffering. The Indian takeaway Spice Fusion announced its closure, stating the outage made it "impossible for us to operate safely and maintain our hygiene standards". By law, food establishments cannot open without working toilets for staff.
Residents like mother-of-two Nicola Hodgson have been forced to make alternative arrangements. She told the BBC her family had to decamp to the children's grandmother's house to access drinking water and working facilities.
SEW has said its customer care team is delivering bottled water to those on its Priority Services Register who cannot collect it themselves. The company also warned that when supply returns, residents may experience temporary discolouration, which it says is not harmful.
