About 17,000 properties in Kent and Sussex are still affected by water problems
The government says it will ask water regulator Ofwat to review South East Water's licence
About 6,500 customers in Tunbridge Wells lose their water again
Bottled water stations are open in East Grinstead and Tunbridge Wells until 22:00 GMT
East Grinstead should see supplies back 'by tomorrow', says one South East Water manager, after another earlier said 'by the end of the day'
Are you affected? Get in touch. And listen to updates throughout the day on BBC Radio Kent and BBC Radio Sussex
WATCH: Starmer quizzed at PMQs over South East Water disruptions
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South East Water (SEW) has said it will fully co-operate with any investigation amid the water supply disruption in Kent and Sussex.
The government announced earlier it had requested the regulator, Ofwat, to review the water company's licence.
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) recently said it was investigating SEW over the ongoing supply issues in the counties.
The water company is also currently subject to two other investigations by Ofwat and the DWI.
An SEW spokesperson says: "The company will always fully co-operate with any investigation by our regulators and provide any information required."
Richard Dandy said supply failures and uncertainty had been a challenge
Richard Dandy, co-owner of Spires hairdressing in East Grinstead, says it has been “bedlam” dealing with the supply failures, particularly the uncertainty.
He says he called clients last night to let them know their appointments would go ahead, arrived at work to see there was a supply, but at about 08:45 GMT it went off again.
“You don’t appreciate how important it is until you haven’t got it. We are dependent on water, as we are electricity, but without water, we just can’t function," he adds.
He says there have been burst pipes in the town before and on one occasion “the gentleman who was digging the hole said these pipes are as old as the houses, and the houses are about 200 years old”.
On Tuesday, South East Water’s head of commercial development Nicola Higgins said the company had requested an additional £300m of funding to tackle its resilience issues.
The government announced earlier it would ask the regulator, Ofwat, to review South East Water's licence.
The BBC asked Ofwat if it would comment on this announcement, but it sent through a statement it has shared with us previously.
It says: "We are concerned that residents in Kent and Sussex are without water again, and are working with the Drinking Water Inspectorate, which is the lead regulator for this latest supply interruption, to ensure that regulation and enforcement is aligned.
"Ofwat already has an active investigation into South East Water related to its supply resilience, and we have met with the company to discuss these latest incidents as part of that investigation.
"We will review all of the evidence before taking a decision on what further action may be required into whether the company has met its legal obligations set out in its licence relating to customer care, including with further potential enforcement action."
Bernadette McCague
Image source, Katherine RoseKatherine Rose says there have been problems for years
Parents are continuing to tell us about the difficulties they are facing during the water supply issues across Sussex and Kent.
One mother-of-three says her family has been showering at other people's houses, while the washing for the family-of-five has been piling up after having little or no water since Monday.
Katherine Rose, from Tunbridge Wells, says it had been "challenging" for everyone, including her 10-year-old twins and another child, aged eight.
"Don’t even ask me about the loos, left festering," she says.
She says there has been a "trickle" of water today, but they have been leaving for work and school with nothing out of the tap and returning to the same.
Rose says there have been issues for the past four years - she believes the reservoir or water treatment plant serving the town must be "unfit for purpose".
The BBC has contacted South East Water for comment.
Earlier, the government announced it was taking the unusual step of asking the regulator Ofwat to review South East Water's licence.
BBC South East's environment correspondent explains Ofwat can, in theory, strip the company of its licence.
However, the threshold is incredibly high.
She adds the government is obliged to give water companies at least 25 years' notice before it can terminate a licence.
Image source, SuppliedOne man tells us the water supply disruptions "hark back to lockdown" with his kids not at school.
James Broad, from East Grinstead in West Sussex, tells the BBC: “We’re a family of five, hanging on in there with home learning and some coping strategies."
He says his children "enjoy helping top up the storage tank in the loft for a bit of hot water... chipping in, helping doing washing up that’s normally handled by the dishwasher."
He says the supply issues have allowed them to gain an "appreciation of how much water is required for baths, toilets, washing up, clothes washing and generally keeping sanitary", but says they are "still smiling".
Customers in Tunbridge Wells will wake up to a consistent water supply from Friday morning, South East Water says.
The company says it has developed a new plan to restore water supply.
However, the supply will be turned off for 6,500 customers in the Tunbridge Wells area and they will be without supplies until that point.
A spokesman for the company tells us the firm is also launching its "largest ever operation" to deliver bottled water directly to customers affected from 17:30 GMT today and this will run through the night and into Thursday.
Vulnerable customers are receiving bottled water directly and this will continue.
It says "Grab bags" are also being delivered, which is "grey water" - not drinking water - to flush toilets.
Two bottled water stations in the town are open and will remain open until 22:00 GMT, and a third bottled water station will open on Thursday at about midday in the town.
Image source, LDRSThe head of Maidstone Borough Council, Stuart Jeffery, says water supply problems in his area are predominantly in rural places.
"My heart goes out to everyone who is really struggling," he says in a video posted on X. He adds that the current bottled water station in Maidstone's Mote Park leisure centre is "not ideal" for people in the countryside.
"We're working to try to persuade South East Water to get that water station closer to people's homes," Jeffery continues.
But he adds: "The staff there are working their socks off. Be nice to them."
Image source, PA MediaSouth East Water (SEW) tells the BBC it has made some 24,000 deliveries of bottled water to customers on its priority services register.
The register is for people who need a "little extra help", which could be due to age, a health condition, a disability, or temporary change in situation, SEW says on its website.
But one man - who has a spinal injury - told the BBC he had not had any deliveries of bottled water for days, despite being on the list.
If you are just joining us, here are the key moments from today's live feed on Kent and Sussex's water supply problems.
Image source, Getty ImagesIn its latest update, South East Water is saying affected properties in East Grinstead should expect to get their water back today.
"Water supplies have returned to 11,500 properties in East Grinstead, a further 2,500 are returning to supply this afternoon with the remaining 2,500 later today," says incident manager Matthew Dean.
The company had said this morning that supplies would come back today, before later saying the West Sussex town would get water back "by tomorrow morning".
Many people have been asking if they can get compensation for the water supply disruptions.
The short answer is yes, but there are conditions.
South East Water says its customers who have no mains supply are entitled to £50 for each continuous 12-hour period.
Its adds that this compensation should be paid automatically.
Customers are also entitled to a £40 late payment penalty.
Michael Keohan
BBC Kent political reporter
Image source, Chrissie Reidy/BBCThe government is taking the unusual step of asking the regulator, Ofwat, to review the licence of South East Water (SEW).
The announcement has just been made by Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds at a bottled water station in Tunbridge Wells.
SEW has been approached for a comment.
South East Water said earlier that it had returned water to 6,500 properties in Tunbridge Wells but that they may lose supply later on Wednesday.
The company has confirmed those homes and businesses "have lost supplies for today after the water levels in the area’s drinking water storage tanks dropped below the level the boosters can run".
Image source, Michael Keohan/BBCEnvironment secretary Emma Reynolds visits a bottled water station in Tunbridge Wells.
Image source, Michael Keohan/BBCReynolds hands out bottles alongside Tunbridge Wells MP Mike Martin.
The visit follows the prime minister saying the situation for South East Water customers is "clearly totally unacceptable".
Image source, PA MediaThere are currently 18 "ongoing interruptions" on South East Water's (SEW) network, according to its website.
Multiple areas across West and East Sussex, Surrey and Kent are affected by issues with water supplies - having either no water or an intermittent supply.
A majority of these disruptions are due to burst water mains, says the company.
The problems South East Water (SEW) is facing are not isolated within the UK's water industry.
Water companies across England and Wales are privatised, whereas in Scotland and Northern Ireland they are publicly owned.
In England and Wales, the governments are in charge of setting the water policy and framework for the companies.
In October last year, water companies in England and Wales were ordered to refund more than £260m to customers based on poor performance.
It came after a spike in serious pollution incidents.
In its annual rating system, the Environment Agency gave England's water companies their worst ever combined marks for their environmental performance in 2024.
And in a landmark review into the sector, released in July 2025, the government scrapped the various regulators in England in charge of monitoring performance, and said instead it would go forward with one combined regulator.
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Image source, GoogleBlackland Farm Outdoor Centre in East Grinstead says it has paid for a water tanker to fill its tank so it can continue to offer people hot showers and refills.
"There’s no charge - just come along if you need to wash, shower, or top up containers," a spokesperson adds.
The campsite is open until 16:30 GMT today and has been offering help all week.
