Southern Water is pausing bottled water deliveries in Thanet today (January 12) due to supply sites having ‘no major issues’ overnight.
Water deliveries began after a power outage at Southern Water supply works on Saturday night (January 10).
UK Power Networks experienced a power outage which affected key Water Supply Works (WSW), including Selling WSW and Wingham WSW.
Both of these sites produce water that helps fill up the Fleete Reservoir in Manston.
With Kent already experiencing high water demand recently, the power outage, combined with Storm Goretti and the freeze/thaw weather, had an impact on a number of Southern Water reservoir levels across the region.
Southern Water says customers in Thanet are not currently impacted, and taps are flowing as normal. However, as a precautionary measure, they made the deliveries to customers on the Priority Services Register who are supplied by the Fleete Reservoir.
Deliveries took place across 24 towns, including Ramsgate, Margate, Broadstairs, Birchington and Westgate-on-Sea.
Pausing deliveries
This morning the water company said: “Customers have not yet been affected by Saturday’s UKPN power outage and remain in supply as normal.
“As a precaution we started delivering bottled water to customers on our Priority Services Register (PSR) across Thanet, following the power issues.
“Many of our local sites have now been running since yesterday (Sunday 11 January) helping to keep customers in supply.
“Therefore, we are pausing our bottled water deliveries in Thanet, to help South East Water with their bottled water deliveries in areas that are currently without water.
“We’re updating customers on our PSR by sending text messages, to ensure they are aware of the latest.
“We’re constantly assessing the situation, with high water demand across Kent and the knock on effects of the recent weather we’ve experienced.”
An outage has seen thousands of South East Water customers without supply across other parts of Kent and East Sussex.
Risk
Last night Southern Water said supply disruption for approximately 76,000 properties across Thanet remains a risk, although work on site and on the water network has delayed customer impact.
The firm added: “There is a slight deficit in terms of supply and demand, and we are also supporting South East Water while they face challenges across Kent.
“Current projections are potential customer impact on Tuesday 13 January, but the situation is improving as long as our sites continue running.”
A Kent Water Supply website page can be found at: https://www.southernwater.co.uk/latest-news/water-supply-in-kent/
Christine Tongue may want to telephone Southern Water and ask them to come and collect hers, given they were such an inconvenience to her.
Haha!
Power outtages do affect contamination. I hope you know that fact and the water gets tested.
“Therefore, we are pausing our bottled water deliveries in Thanet, to help South East Water with their bottled water deliveries in areas that are currently without water.
So as said yesterday while whining about water wastage from customers regularly, they have wasted who knows how much taxpayer cash & bottled water delivering it to people whose supply was not affected, likely wasn’t going to be & hasn’t been. Why were they not helping to deliver to people whose water was actually off instead?
Mine is going towards my preppers stash ready for the impending wars…
We’ve been told the issues might return. This is via the water company. Not good.
Yesterday I filled several large containers with water, and I won’t be tipping them away just yet!
Ditto. Good plan. Whilst they say publicly there won’t be a problem I would be prepared.
No text message advising this. Elderly lady got water bottles dropped off, so that was good. I do hope people aren’t being spooked into buying water at supermarkets.
Being on the priority water list with Southern Water we received none at all. So much for being on the list so will get my own backup. Simply for washing, used 4 pint milk bottles sterilised and refilled with tap water will do very nicely.
Sterilisation tablets available from a decent pharmacy. Cheap as chips. Why rely on those that don’t care?
It might just be coincidental, but I’ve had a very dodgy tummy today for no apparent reason other than I drink several glasses of water a day.
I received an email late this afternoon telling me my son’s school need to close tomorrow. I wouldn’t call it a situation which is improving.
They have paused water deliveries despite not delivering to everyone on the priority register. If you try to contact them, you waste an hour and receive no kind of answer.
I’d be interested to know the corporate origins of the “bottled water” and the relevant contractual details. How many former Water Authority executives now work for bottled water suppliers?
Interesting point. I was promised a response today from someone dealing with my delivery problem. Guess how many calls I got.