South East Water Apologises as Supply Issues Hit Villages Near Maidstone

South East Water has apologised to customers in and around Lenham, Otterden, Pluckley and Egerton after reporting that many households would face no water or low water pressure through the evening and into Saturday 8 August 2026. For residents in these smaller, semi-rural villages on the edge of the Maidstone borough, even a short interruption to supply can be keenly felt, particularly for those relying on a private well-serviced network or without easy access to bottled alternatives.

According to South East Water, the problem in the Maidstone-area villages is not an isolated fault but a knock-on effect of a much larger issue further north in Sittingbourne. The company said the interruption in the Lenham and Pluckley area 'is linked to the issues South East Water are experiencing in the Sittingbourne area this afternoon because the pipeline networks are linked' — a reminder that the region's water infrastructure often crosses local authority boundaries, meaning a fault in one town can quickly ripple into neighbouring districts.

At the heart of the disruption is a Sittingbourne water treatment works that supplies Bredgar, Borden, Doddington, Teynham and the surrounding area. Engineers needed to carry out urgent maintenance to electrical equipment there, work that had originally been scheduled for later in the weekend but was brought forward because of wider power issues affecting the Sittingbourne area on the day. Carrying out that maintenance safely required a temporary shutdown of the treatment works, which in turn left the drinking water storage tanks serving the area running very low — and, because the networks are interconnected, that shortage has been felt as far away as the Maidstone villages.

South East Water says it has mobilised a response on several fronts. Teams are delivering water directly to customers on the company's Priority Services Register who are unable to travel to collect supplies themselves, while water is also being tankered into the affected area. Engineers are searching for and repairing any leaks or bursts that could be worsening the pressure problems, and the company says it is supporting critical local sites such as farms, care homes and medical centres to make sure essential needs are met while normal supply is restored.

For those able to travel, bottled water stations have been set up at the Asda in Sittingbourne (ME10 2PD) and the Morrisons in Sittingbourne (ME10 4DN) — useful to know for Maidstone-area residents affected by the linked outage, even though the collection points themselves are in Sittingbourne. No bottled water stations were listed specifically within the Maidstone borough at the time of writing, so households in Lenham, Otterden, Pluckley and Egerton wanting bottled supplies may need to travel or wait for tankered deliveries.

South East Water has apologised for the disruption and inconvenience caused, and is urging affected customers to keep an eye on updates via its website and social media channels, including the AquAlerter tool, which gives real-time information on areas currently impacted. Residents experiencing ongoing issues are asked to report them directly to South East Water, and anyone who may need extra support — including older or vulnerable residents — can register for the company's Priority Services Register or call its Customer Care line on 0800 952 4000. Neighbours are also being encouraged to pass on information to those who may not have seen the alerts themselves. Source: Maidstone Borough Council