Tens of thousands of residents in Tunbridge Wells have been left without running water since the weekend, and now they're being told they can't even drink what's finally coming through their taps.
Earlier today, South East Water issued a boil-water notice, taking effect from midday today, affecting roughly 24,000 customers who've been struggling without supplies since November 29.
It states: “Our routine monitoring has shown your drinking water is not up to its usual high quality, and as a precautionary measure, we would like you to boil your water and once cooled, put it into a glass for drinking and brushing teeth.
“Use it too for washing food to be eaten raw, such as salad and fruit. [...] Boiling water is the safest method of purification."
Sir Ed Davey has questioned the prime minister about the water crisis
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The company says water quality problems at the Pembury treatment works mean the restored supply isn't safe for drinking or cooking unless it's boiled first. It's fine for flushing toilets and having a wash, but that's about it for now.
Dr Neil Hudson, the company's Head of Water Quality, explained what's gone wrong.
"After recharging our network in Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding areas slowly, we have seen a recurrence of the water quality issues that caused the initial shutdown of our water treatment works in Pembury," he said.
"Because of this, we are currently unable to produce drinking water from the Pembury treatment works that meets the strict regulatory standards required for consumption."
The decision to pump water into the network anyway was made because so many people have been unable to carry out basic tasks like showering or flushing the loo for days on end.
Three bottled water stations are staying open until 10 pm tonight for anyone who needs supplies. Residents can pick up water at Tunbridge Wells Sports Centre on St John's Road, the Odeon Cinema on Knights Way, or RCP Parking.
These collection points have been running since the crisis began over the weekend, helping residents get through the disruption.
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If you're registered on the Priority Services Register, there's extra help available too.
Dr Hudson confirmed that the customer care team and Water Direct are continuing to bring bottled water directly to eligible customers who've signed up to the scheme.
All affected households should also expect a letter arriving shortly with full details of the postcodes covered by the boil notice.
Water Minister Emma Hardy hasn't held back in her criticism of the situation.
"The continued disruption to the water supply in the Tunbridge Wells area, affecting households, businesses and schools, is unacceptable," she said.
The minister made clear she's putting pressure on South East Water to sort things out quickly, demanding they support affected customers and offer proper compensation. There's some good news on that front, at least.
"Protecting water customers is my priority, and we have increased compensation payments to customers by up to tenfold so those affected are reimbursed for supply problems like this," Hardy added.
Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, questioned Sir Keir Starmer about the water crisis during Prime Minister's Questions, saying: "Yesterday, I was in Royal Tunbridge Wells, where tens of thousands of people have had no water for five days.
"This is now a public health emergency, and shockingly, it's the second time in just three years when South East Water have let down the people of Tunbridge Wells badly.
"Parents are queuing up for bottled water for their kids. Pensioners are relying on neighbours to fetch some water for them. Businesses have closed down; schools and GPs have been forced to shut.
The outage affected tens of thousands of residents
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"South East Water said it will be sorted on Monday, then yesterday and today it still hasn't been sorted. So, will the prime minister convene Cobra? Does he agree that it's time for him to get a grip of this crisis, so it is sorted?"
"I do think the government will need to do more because South East Water have failed so badly."
Sir Keir Starmer responded that the water crisis in Tunbridge Wells is "shocking", adding that he was aware that South East Water had consistently failed to meet its promises of restoring a safe supply of water in the past few days.
South East Water has apologised repeatedly throughout the ordeal.
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