How the Crisis Unfolded
At the end of November 2025, the spa town of Tunbridge Wells found itself in the middle of one of the most disruptive water failures in recent memory. South East Water (SEW) shut down its Pembury Water Treatment Works after a “bad batch” of coagulant chemicals was added to the system. The incident contaminated water entering the network and required a full shutdown and flush of the works. Within hours, thousands of homes lost supply or saw pressure collapse.
Although SEW attempted to recharge the system, contamination resurfaced, which forced the company to issue a boil water notice on 3 December. Households were told they could shower and flush toilets, although they could not safely drink, cook with or brush their teeth using tap water unless it had been boiled. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council declared a major incident and opened bottled water stations to support the community.
The Present Situation: Water Flows but Trust is Running Out
Are some homes still affected?
By 4 and 5 December, it was clear that although many properties had regained flow, large parts of Tunbridge Wells still had no safe drinking water. The boil water notice remained in place as SEW continued to flush and monitor the network.
Is bottled water still being supplied?
Yes. Multiple sites across the town remain open until late evening. Vulnerable residents receive direct deliveries. Volunteers and neighbours continue informal doorstep distribution for those who cannot travel.
Are hospitals and care settings coping?
Barely. Several GP surgeries, a kidney dialysis unit and at least two care homes reported serious operational strain. Schools have closed or restricted access. Care providers are dependent on council support for bottled water and sanitation.
How People Are Coping: Improvisation, Ingenuity and Exhaustion
Households have reverted to methods more commonly associated with drought zones, not a commuter town in Kent.
Waterbutts and stored rainwater:
Multiple residents reported using rainwater from garden butts to flush toilets.
One High Brooms household posted on a local Facebook group that they had “never been so grateful for a waterbutt” and were using collected rainwater for washing floors and garden tools to conserve bottled water for cooking and drinking.
A resident near Rusthall shared anonymously via a local WhatsApp mutual aid group that they had set up buckets on the patio to catch overnight rain, which they were using to keep their two bathrooms functional.
Repurposing household systems:
Some families used camping water carriers and large storage tubs to hold boiled water for safe reuse throughout the day. Others relied on leftover bottled water from emergency kits purchased during the 2022 heatwave.Community coordination:
Several street WhatsApp groups arranged car shares to and from distribution centres. One group circulated advice on using water filtration jugs for taste improvement after boiling, and another coordinated deliveries to elderly neighbours who were unaware of the boil notice.
In a town known for its café culture and small independent businesses, many shops and bakeries closed early or did not open at all due to a lack of safe water for food preparation.
Placing Tunbridge Wells in a Wider Pattern of UK Water Failures
The Brixham contamination crisis, 2024
Residents in Brixham, Devon, lived through a similar breakdown when Cryptosporidium entered the South West Water network in May 2024. More than a thousand people fell ill, and a boil water notice remained in place for weeks. South West Water now faces prosecution.
Other failures within the last year
Across the UK, public confidence in water companies has eroded after a series of supply failures, sewage pollution events and treatment plant breakdowns. Several companies are under regulatory pressure for rising pollution incidents and missed investment commitments.
When different companies, operating in different regions, experience high-profile water system failures within a short period of time, it suggests the problem is not isolated. Instead it points towards a deeper structural fragility.
Signs of a System Under Pressure
Experts and regulators have raised serious concerns.
Pembury Treatment Works was already under a risk notice in 2024 for potential bacterial and pesticide contamination.
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has launched a formal investigation into whether SEW met its obligations under the Water Supply Regulations.
Political leaders, including local MP Mike Martin, have questioned whether SEW has provided accurate information about resilience, investment and emergency preparedness.
National figures such as Sir Ed Davey have described the situation as a public health emergency and demanded clarity over why a suspected process failure was able to cripple a major treatment works.
The failures share common threads. Ageing infrastructure. Sparse investment. Fragile treatment capacity. Overstretched networks with minimal redundancy. A regulatory system that appears more reactive than preventive. And companies whose financial positions may undermine their ability to deliver essential public services.
Public Anger and a Struggle for Accountability
Residents have not held back.
People queuing for water spoke openly of feeling “forgotten and ignored”. Others took to social media to question how a chemical error could be allowed to occur and why communication from SEW was inconsistent during the first 48 hours.
Local businesses have demanded compensation and clarity. Care workers have questioned why contingency plans seemed thin. One anonymous resident commented, “If this had been electricity, the government would be all over it. Why is safe water treated like an optional extra?”
Politicians across parties have called for investigations, fines and, in some cases, leadership changes within SEW. The conversation is slowly shifting from operational failure to possible negligence.
What Needs to Change
The immediate task is clear. SEW must restore safe drinking water, rebuild confidence and comply fully with regulatory requirements. In the longer term, the crisis raises fundamental questions about how water is managed in the United Kingdom.
Do water companies have the skills and resources to maintain resilient systems?
Are regulators equipped to prevent emergencies rather than only respond to them?
Should penalties rise to reflect the scale of public harm when systems fail?
And at what point does a repeated pattern of failures justify structural reform of the industry?
Tunbridge Wells is the latest community to experience the consequences of a fragile water system. Unless the sector receives sustained investment, stronger oversight and a renewed commitment to public interest duties, it will not be the last.
