Water plant that caused Tunbridge Wells supply failure was given risk notice in 2024 | Water

A water treatment center which broke down and led to the cutting of supplies to tens of thousands of people in Tunbridge Wells had already received a warning from the regulator over the risks of contamination from bacteria and pesticides.

The town of Kent is under a boil water advisory after residents’ water supply was cut off on Saturday. South East Water told residents the water from their taps was unsuitable for drinking, giving to pets, brushing teeth, washing children or bathing with an open wound.

The advisory is in effect for at least 10 days due to what the company describes as “water quality issues.”

The city’s schools, restaurants, pubs and hotels were forced to close all week due to a lack of running water. GP practices have also struggled to get water supplies.

An investigation into the cause of the contamination has been launched by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) into the Pembury treatment plants.

Last year the watchdog warned: “There is or has been a significant risk to water supplies from Pembury Water Treatment Plants (and associated assets where applicable) which could pose a potential hazard to human health or could be unwholesome. » He called for urgent upgrading of facilities, including water tanks and sludge lagoons, to avoid contamination of tap water with pesticides, E.coli, Enterococci And Clostridium bacteria.

The water company could face legal action and enforcement if it is found to have been negligent in maintaining the treatment center.

South East Water is on the brink of financial collapse, a fate that threatens several other water companies. Earlier this year it had to request a £200 million cash injection from its investors after being placed on a watchlist by regulator Ofwat due to its financial health.

A DWI spokesperson said: “The inspectorate is aware of an ongoing incident in the Tunbridge Wells area. The company is taking action to return supplies to normal. The inspectorate is investigating the event to understand the cause and ensure the company puts measures in place to protect consumers and prevent a recurrence. As this is an ongoing investigation and the inspectorate has the power to take action enforcement or legal action if there is sufficient evidence, we are unable to comment further at this stage.”

Other water companies face similar problems with their aging infrastructure. Campaigners accused companies of “wasting their assets” and giving money in dividends to shareholders rather than investing in treatment centers, sewers and reservoirs.

Thames Water’s Coppermills treatment facilities have been identified as a critical “single point of failure” which could lead to water loss for more than 500,000 people if an outage occurs.

And last summer, dozens of people fell ill from the parasite cryptosporidium was found in the water supply of Brixham, Devon. More than 140 people have been confirmed to be suffering from the diarrhea-like illness, which also causes stomach pain and vomiting, which usually lasts for about two weeks. Four people were then taken to hospital.

David Hinton, the chief executive of South East Water, who has faced calls for his resignation over the situation in Tunbridge Wells, was summoned to a meeting with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on Wednesday.

Water Minister Emma Hardy said: “I have spoken to [Hinton] this morning and made it clear that the continued disruption to the water supply was unacceptable. The DWI will undertake a full investigation into the causes of this incident and why it took so long to restore supply to customers.

Neil Hudson, head of water quality at South East Water, said people should not drink this water. He told the BBC: “Any normal, healthy person is unlikely to see any impact. [if water is accidentally ingested]. If anyone drinks the water and starts to feel unwell, our advice would be to speak to your GP.

He refused to give a date when drinking water would flow from the taps again: “We don’t want to give false hope that it will be over in a short period of time,” he said.

South East Water has been contacted for comment.