Tunbridge Wells residents without water again as supplier blames cold weather

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 2 min read 100% complete by Helena Horton Environment reporterJanuary 8, 2026 at 10:16 AM

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Tunbridge Wells residents are experiencing another water outage, with South East Water reporting 6,500 households without water and thousands more with intermittent supplies. The company blames the disruption on burst water mains caused by recent cold weather. This follows a major outage in the area last November that left 24,000 homes without water for two weeks. South East Water has faced criticism for prioritizing dividends over infrastructure investment, and its CEO recently suggested that people working from home contributed to water shortages, a claim refuted by the Drinking Water Inspectorate. The local MP predicts intermittent water supply could persist for days, and the chair of the environment, food and rural affairs parliamentary select committee has demanded an immediate response from South East Water's chair.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

UK 40% Nick Bell 50% Liberal Democrat ×250% Alistair Carmichael 50% David Hinton 60% Mike Martin 60% Pembury water treatment centre ×270% Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) ×375% Tunbridge Wells ×390% South East Water ×895%

Keywords

water outage 100% south east water 90% water supply 80% burst water mains 70% infrastructure investment 70% water treatment 60% leaks 60% drinking water inspectorate 50% cold weather 50% pembury water treatment 40%