People in Kent told to use water for ‘essential purposes’ only as heatwave causes supply issues
Thousands of people in Kent have been asked to use water for essential reasons only due to supply issues caused by “extremely high demand” in the heatwave.
South East Water said around 18,000 people were experiencing intermittent water supply after reservoirs were drained as temperatures rose over the bank holiday weekend.
He urged people in the area to reserve some water for “essential” uses such as drinking, washing and cooking.
It comes after the hottest day of May on record for both England and Wales on Tuesday, with Kew Gardens temporarily reaching 35.1C and Cardiff Bute Park reaching 32.9C, according to the Met Office.
South East Water’s head of operations control, Matthew Dean, said: “Around 18,000 customers across the city are still experiencing water supply issues due to extremely high demand in very hot weather.”
He added: “We are doing everything we can to supply water to our reservoirs, but some of our customers will continue to have intermittent water supplies until reservoir levels return to normal.
“In preparation for this, we have informed our customers that while they have water on hand, they should reserve some water for basic use.
“We continue to ask our customers to use water only for essential purposes such as drinking, washing and cooking.”
He said the company was supplying bottled water to vulnerable customers, adding that on Tuesday the company had pumped 660 million liters of water into the region, more than 100 million liters above the one-day average.
While the hot weather is expected to continue for the rest of the week, temperatures are expected to rise to 30 degrees in the Southeast on Thursday.
Rescue charities are urging people to stay safe in the water after seven children died in swimming-related incidents during the heatwave.
Police on Wednesday named a 12-year-old boy who drowned in Lancashire after getting into trouble in the water as Junior Slater. His family paid tribute to him, describing him as “the life and soul of our lives.”
Cheshire police on Wednesday found the body of what is believed to be a 17-year-old boy who went missing in the water at Pickmere Lake in Marston, Northwich, on Tuesday.
The family of 15-year-old Declan Sawyer also paid tribute to their “much-loved” son, who died after getting into trouble in the water at Swanholme Lakes in Lincolnshire on Sunday.
The Royal Life-Saving Society called on everyone to “stop and think” before entering the water following the deaths.
“Warmer weather unfortunately leads to an increase in accidental drownings,” he said, and despite the warmer weather, “water temperatures remain very cold.”
