More UK houses may lose running water; will some see Christmas Day without it? Here are the details

Tens of thousands of homes in some areas of south-east England might be without running water for Christmas Day as suppliers battle ruptured pipes brought on by a quick thaw from last week's frigid weather.

South East Water acknowledged that it could not assure all of its customers in East Sussex and Kent that water will be restored by the Christmas holiday after leakage increased by three times. Also on Wednesday, Southern Water announced that there would be water supply limitations across Hampshire, including Southampton, Winchester, and Eastleigh, for at least 48 hours.

The statement read: We are now experiencing high pressure on our water supply in Hampshire, which is being brought on by several factors, including leaks from the most recent "freeze/thaw" incident. Because of this, their water treatment facilities are unable to keep up with the water demand.



The MP for Tunbridge Wells, one of the hardest afflicted regions, Greg Clark, a former cabinet minister, criticized South East Water's handling of the problem as "unacceptably bad and at times chaotic."

In towns and villages around Kent and East Sussex, residents have been forced to rely on the sporadic supply of emergency bottled water. People waited in line for more than an hour on Tuesday night at a Tesco parking lot in Pembury town for delivery of bottled water that never showed up.

FAQs:

1. What did Southern Water announce regarding water supply across Hampshire?
   Southern Water announced that there would be water supply limitations across Hampshire, including Southampton, Winchester, and Eastleigh, for at least 48 hours.
2. What are residents relying on in towns and villages around Kent and East Sussex?
   In towns and villages around Kent and East Sussex, residents have been forced to rely on the sporadic supply of emergency bottled water.