News South East Water responding to water shortages in parts of Maidstone
South East Water has apologised to customers experiencing low water pressure or no water in parts of the Maidstone area.
South East Water have reported that customers in Lenham, Otterden, Pluckley, Egerton and surrounding areas will experience no water or low water pressure this evening and into tonight, on Saturday 8 August 2026.
Why is this happening?
The interruption in this area is linked to the issues South East Water are experiencing in the Sittingbourne area this afternoon because the pipeline networks are linked.
In the Sittingbourne area, South East Water teams are working hard to complete urgent maintenance to electrical equipment at their water treatment works, which supplies Bredgar, Borden, Doddington, Teynham and surrounding areas.
While this work was originally planned for later this weekend, it had to be brought forward due to the wider power issues being experienced in the Sittingbourne area today, Saturday 8 August 2026.
To safely complete this work, the water treatment works must be temporarily shut down.
This means that the drinking water storage tanks which supply this area have got very low.
What steps is South East Water taking to restore supplies?
- Delivering water to those customers listed on their Priority Services Register who are unable to travel
- Tankering water into the area this afternoon, Saturday 8th August 2026
- Deploying teams on the ground finding and fixing leaks and bursts that may affect customer supplies
- Supporting critical sites in the area such as farms, care homes and medical centres
- Setting up bottled water stations at the locations below
Bottled water stations
- ASDA, Sittingbourne, ME10 2PD
- Morrisons, Sittingbourne, ME10 4DN
Stay updated and get support
South East Water has apologised for the disruption and inconvenience caused to affected customers.
Residents are encouraged to follow updates from South East Water and share information with family, friends and neighbours who may be affected.
For the latest information, visit South East Water's website or social media channels.
The AquAlerter on the South East Water website also contains real time updates on the current areas impacted.
If residents are experiencing issues, they should make a report to South East Water directly.
Register to join the Priority Services Register or call the South East Water Customer Care line on 0800 952 4000.