Water Supply Disruption Affects Over 1,000 Properties

Over 1,000 residences in Medway experienced a water outage on Christmas Eve, attributed to a ruptured water main. Southern Water indicated that customers in Kent’s Strood area might be encountering reduced water pressure or a complete lack of supply. The utility company reported being close to pinpointing the location of the burst and confirmed it was operating continuously. These service interruptions commenced on Monday morning, and distribution points for bottled water are scheduled to remain open through Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve, Medway Council announced that Strood Sports Centre would be accessible from 09:30 GMT until midday on Christmas Day, offering shower facilities for residents without water. The council expressed its gratitude, saying it owed staff “a huge thank you for giving up part of their Christmas Day”. A representative for Southern Water stated: “We are in the process of installing some new valves within Gun Lane, once complete this will assist us in narrowing down the leak location. To be certain that customers still experiencing low pressure or no supply have enough water for Christmas Day, our support teams will be providing a double delivery of water overnight.” Stephanie Davidovitz, head of water networks at Southern Water, commented: “We currently have four tankers which are also putting water into our network, which will again top the areas up. I want to apologise to our customers, this is not a situation that I want any of our customers to be in, particularly on this day going into Christmas.” Southern Water reported that bottled water had been delivered to the majority of impacted clients, although some did not receive a delivery. The water company indicated this situation was under investigation and that customers who missed a delivery were being given precedence. It also mentioned a bottled water distribution point operating at Keystone Medical Centre, Gun Lane, Rochester, which was scheduled to operate until 22:00 and then, if necessary, resume operations at 08:00 on Christmas Day. Helen Potts, a resident of Strood, stated she had been informed it could take two days for her water supply to be restored. She remarked: “It’s not very good for Christmas, is it? Not very good at all. We have bottled water, plenty of bottled water now, but you don’t realise how many times you use your tap.” Vince Maple, leader of Medway Council, declared: “I’m urging Southern Water to put as much resource as they practically can into resolving the issue. They need to do more to make sure every household affected has a reasonable supply for Christmas. The council’s emergency planning team are working with Southern Water.” Southern Water confirmed that frequent updates could be accessed via its online platform. For further information, follow BBC Kent on social media platforms such as Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story suggestions can be sent to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp at 08081 002250. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Details regarding our external linking policy are available.