Our coverage of the water supply issues in Tunbridge Wells and some of the surrounding villages is finishing for the day.

South East Water was due to publish an update at 19:00, but at time of writing they have not done so. We have also approached them for a comment, but they have not responded to this request.

You can read back through our coverage, or click here to catch up on the day's events.

We will be back with updates in the morning. BBC Radio Kent will also be live in Tunbridge Wells from 06:00 on Thursday with a special programme. You can listen live by clicking here.

Fiona Irving
South East environment correspondent

South East Water will be hopeful that the move to return water to customers - even if it’s not drinkable - will give a bit of breathing space.

Breathing space for customers and for South East Water.

Yesterday there clearly was a crisis when they thought they had solved the problem, only to discover later that they hadn’t.

There have been mounting calls for Dave Hinton, the company's chief executive, to resign.

We have asked a number of times for him to speak to the BBC, to answer many of the questions South East Water's head of water quality was unable to answer in an interview I carried out earlier.

There are questions that Mr Hinton needs to answer about risk planning, communication, infrastructure resilience and whether he has considered quitting.

The chief executive has so far chosen not to speak to us but that invitation stands.

South East Water has added extra postcodes to the list of customers who should boil water before using it for drinking, washing up, cooking and brushing teeth.

Two new postcodes have been added - TN2 4 and TN11 0

Image source, BBC/Manor House

The Manor House, which is a bar and nightclub in the centre of Tunbridge Wells, was forced to close at 23:00 on Saturday after the water went out.

The venue had over 600 people in at the time, and says they've lost "tens of thousands of pounds" since then.

Faz Sherazi, from The Manor House, said: “It’s the unknown, what to tell bookings and customers, how to respond to events.

"If we had a set date then at least we could plan for that date.”

The venue has had to cancel five Christmas bookings so far, as well as its entire Sunday service.

Many other venues, including cafes, restaurants and banks, are also closed in the town centre.

Claire Starr
in Tunbridge Wells

We told you earlier about a primary school - Skinners’ Temple Grove - affected by the water supply failure.

Staff there have been putting together education packs for pupils who cannot come into the school because the building has no water.

"There are an awful lot of them that are not able to access online learning," said headteacher Rebekah Leeves.

"If they can it is usually via a parent's phone - which is limited, particularly if they're siblings - and they're just not able to complete learning effectively."

She told the BBC: "For our families, work packs is the better option and parents have requested it, so we are providing that for them."

We've been receiving dozens of messages from people in the Tunbridge Wells area sharing their experiences of the ongoing water problems.

Here's what some people have said:

One told us: "We were without water entirely for 36 days over the course of 2022, 14 days in 2023 and have had very low pressure frequently throughout last year and earlier this year (particularly in summer), so this is a perennial problem.

"It is quite ironic as the town used to be known for its water as a spa town, this is how it earned its Royal title in 1909, and now the water company can’t even supply its residents with basic drinking water 100 years later in 2025."

Another said: "The water crisis is also causing carnage on the roads in the vicinity of the water stations, with gridlock ensuing and affecting the air quality in those areas."

One said of the advice that people should boil their tap water: "They’re talking a lot about the boil notice, but we still don’t have anything coming out of the taps to boil."

And finally: "At this point I need to see the CEO drinking that tap water on camera for me to trust it.

"South East Water has destroyed all shred of goodwill we had, and if the people had another option the company would not survive. Shame on them."

Kris Bramwell
BBC News

Plumber James Dunbar, 51, in Tunbridge Wells, is still without water.

"It's not just affecting me domestically, but my business is affected because you can't do plumbing in people's houses if they don't have water," he said.

Mr Dunbar added: "I'm still affected. I never had any water. Some people had it come back, but we never had anything come back to our house.

"Just had to walk down to the free water station to drag some water home, so very much affecting me."

Image source, PA Media

South East Water announced earlier today that it was issuing a boil notice to customers.

This is because the company took the decision to pump water from its Pembury facility - even though it cannot be used for drinking without boiling first - to return water to people's toilets and showers.

When this was announced, South East Water said it was asking "all customers in the Tunbridge Wells area who have experienced low pressure or no water since 29 November" to boil water before drinking it.

According to the company's boil notice information webpage, external, the notice applies to TN1 1, TN1 2, TN2 3, TN2 5, TN3 9, TN4 0, TN4 9 and TN4 8 postcodes.

The BBC has heard from people covered by these postcodes whose water has been flowing without interruption, but are now wondering if their supply is safe to drink.

We have asked South East Water to clarify this. The company said: "We advise customers to boil water to be certain. But please note we are working on further guidance on postcodes and will update our webpage ASAP."

Image source, PA Media

We now have more from the Minister of Water, Emma Hardy.

She promises that a "full investigation" will be carried out by the Drinking Water Inspectorate.

"All the agencies involved have been made aware of this," she said.

"There has been underinvestment in the water sector in the last few years.

"We are planning to introduce further legislation to make the whole system more resilient, and the people of Tunbridge Wells don't have to suffer again."

The water minister has passed on her sympathies to people and businesses, "especially close to Christmas".

Speaking to BBC South East, Emma Hardy said: "I've hosted a meeting with agencies involved, and I've told South East Water to improve its communications.

"The main job of the South East Water chief executive at the moment is to get on with fixing the issue, including communications.”

She added: “It is very important that everyone follows the boiling water advice and compensation will be arranged when this is finished."

Alison Colvill said she was on South East Water's “vulnerable list” because of a health problem, which meant the company was delivering bottled water to her in Tunbridge Wells.

But nobody has done so since Monday, she said.

“They keep sort of saying it’ll be on at 06:00, and then 06:00 comes, and then it’s going to be 18:00, and then 18:00 comes, and then it’s going to be the next day,” she added.

South East Water said that 8,000 deliveries of bottled water had been made to vulnerable customers since the start of the supply failure.

South East Water has told affected customers that they need to boil their tap water for the next ten days.

Why is this happening? What happens if you drink the tap water? Can you use the dishwasher?

The BBC answers these questions - and many more - here.

Kris Bramwell
BBC News

Image source, Krista Bradford

Krista Bradford said her 83-year-old father, Ian, who lives alone and has dementia, has been without water since Saturday night.

She has been going round and using pond water from his garden to flush the toilets at his house.

"Good job that he has a pond," she said.

Ms Bradford said she planned to use bottled water to help wash her father.

Liberty Phelan
in Tunbridge Wells

"We suspect in the millions, but quite possibly in the tens of millions", Alex Green said regarding how much money Tunbridge Wells businesses have lost.

He is the chief executive of the Royal Tunbridge Wells Together Business Improvement District, and said the water supply failure had left companies "really devastated".

"It's just in the build-up of Christmas, it's so impactful," he told the BBC.

"We really need to try and get people coming back in to support businesses after this is finished and keep Tunbridge Wells trading."

Claire Starr
in Tunbridge Wells

The bottled water station at Tunbridge Wells Sports Centre has seen a steady queue of people continuing to collect bottles all day.

It has led to traffic jams on the road leading to the site – one of the main arteries into the centre of town.

Many are frustrated that they still have no supplies from their taps and are digesting the news that, when supplies do return, they will have to boil water to drink for at least the next 10 days.

Speaking to people in their cars, several are simply relieved to have some supply set to return – even if just for flushing the toilet and showering.

A new walk-in water station has opened at The Amelia Scott civic centre – a relief for people unable to drive further out to the existing sites.

South East Water has said it expects supplies to be restored to all affected customers by midday on Thursday.

The water company said that it was because the pipeline network in Tunbridge Wells was being "gradually refilled" to avoid any more issues, including burst pipes.

Image source, Getty Images

• Water problems are persisting in Tunbridge Wells for a fifth day, also affecting Pembury, Frant and Eridge.
• On Wednesday morning, all 24,000 homes lost supplies, after some had a brief return. Supplies are being restored to properties, but it will not be safe for drinking. Water must be boiled first.
• The boiled water notice will be in place for 10 days.
• Tap water can be used for showering and to flush toilets. It should not be used for brushing teeth, cooking or washing dishes.
• Three drive-in bottled water stations have reopened, as well as a walk-in centre and a grab-bag drop-in.
• Some schools in Tunbridge Wells remain closed for a third consecutive day.
• The next update from South East Water is expected by 19:00 GMT.

Image source, Getty Images

South East Water is trying to restore supplies - but a warning has been in place since midday for homes affected by the supply failure to boil any tap water before drinking it.

Dr Neil Hudson, the company's head of water quality, told BBC Radio Kent that this did not mean all homes would get water immediately, and that "it will take a period of time" for supply to come back.

The boil water warning will last for 10 days, and the South East Water executive says he is "confident" that the problems will be resolved within that time.

Businesses on Mount Ephraim are still open for business, they have posted on social media.

This part of Tunbridge Wells is unaffected by the supply issues and boiling notices, as it is receives supplies from the Langton Green treatment works.

The restaurants and hotels in this part of the town say they are open as usual.

Some businesses have offered to fill up people's water bottles, too.

Neil Hudson, head of water quality at South East Water, spoke to BBC South East's environment correspondent Fiona Irving about the current situation in Tunbridge Wells.

Mr Hudson was pushed on the boil notice, what will happen to people if they did drink the water, and if people should be paying their water bills.