Drinking water supply could be at risk in some areas in Kent
South East Water say levels are 'critically low'
Last updated 5th Aug 2026
There's a warning that some areas of Kent could lose supply of drinking water as levels are "critically low".
South East Water say demand in Charing, Whitstable and Herne Bay needs to drop for the storage tanks to fill up again.
Matthew Dean, Incident Manager for South East Water said: “Due to the prolonged period of hot and dry weather, water levels in our local drinking water storage tank in the Whitstable, Herne Bay and Charing areas are running extremely low, and this may soon impact our ability to pump fresh drinking water to our customers.
“All customers are currently in supply. However, if demand for water continues to remain high, there is a risk of supply interruptions.
“We’re continuing to ask customers to use water for essential purposes only: drinking, cooking and hygiene. This is in line with our temporary usage ban that is now in place for all of our 2.4 million customers across our supply area.
“To safeguard our shared resource and help prevent any homes from facing a sudden loss of water, we are incredibly grateful to everyone helping us protect water supplies in Kent.
“Further information can be found on our website: southeastwater.co.uk“
Posting on Facebook the Water company said:
"Drinking water storage tanks in your area are critically low. This means you may lose supply unless demand for water in the area can drop low enough to allow the tanks to fill up.
"We know it’s hot and you need to use water. We’re not asking for you to be unsafe, please continue to use water for the essentials: drinking, cooking and hygiene."
They suggest making a difference by washing up in a bowl instead of running the dishwasher - which could save 2 to 6 litres per time. Putting off the wash load for the next couple of days to save 35 to 50 litres of water. Or shortening the time the shower is running to only 2 minutes, by turning off when lathering up - to save more than 52 litres on average.