Precautionary boil water notice lifted for 24,000 customers

The instruction to boil tap water before use has been lifted for 24,000 households and businesses in Tunbridge Wells and surrounding areas with immediate effect.

South East Water said its tap water is safe to drink and can be used for everyday tasks.

The company is able to lift this notice after it made changes to the treatment process, flushed its network and took samples from across the area as well as at its water treatment works at Pembury.

Water Supply Director Douglas Whitfield said: “Tap water in Tunbridge Wells is safe to drink and be used for carrying out everyday tasks without being boiled.

“Our customers in Tunbridge Wells have had a very difficult and frustrating time since the end of November. We are very sorry for what has happened.

“Before tap water leaves any of our water treatment works, it goes through extensive testing. If it is not up to strict regulatory standards the water treatment works shuts down automatically. This is what happened on Saturday 29 November and Sunday 30 November at our facility in Pembury.

“For reasons we are continuing to investigate, the natural make-up of the water we abstract from the wells and springs around Pembury changed suddenly. It is very unusual for this to happen. It meant the way in which the raw water needed to be treated had to change and we tested a variety of solutions, whilst consulting industry experts.

“On Wednesday 3 December we took the decision to restart Pembury Water Treatment Works and pump water to customers, with the instruction to boil it before drinking, preparing food, or washing dishes. This decision was made so customers could flush toilets and carry out other day-to-day tasks. The water was chemically safe and all water sampling to date has shown no bacteria has been detected in this area. The boil water notice has been in place as a precaution because it had not met the very strict regulatory requirements in the final treatment process.

“We will now undertake a full review of what happened and how we responded. We will put actions in place to prevent a similar issue and make improvements to increase our resilience.

“We will also be putting in place compensation for our customers and do everything we can to rebuild the trust of the communities we serve.”

Further details about the lifting of the boil water notice are on the South East Water website: southeastwater.co.uk/boil-notice (opens in a new tab)