A new burst water main on Shipbourne Road has left thousands of homes in Tonbridge without water this morning – just one week after a major leak on the same road caused widespread disruption across the town.
The latest burst occurred at around 3.15am on Saturday 8 August, close to the roundabout serving Darenth Avenue and The Ridgeway. Tonbridge MP Tom Tugendhat said around 3,500 homes had initially been affected.
In a statement this morning, Mr Tugendhat said:
“Another 3,500 homes in Tonbridge have woken up this morning to no water. This is due to another burst water main on Shipbourne Road, by the Pinnacles roundabout.
“South East Water were alerted at 3.15am and crews are already on site looking at the repair.”
He added that customers on South East Water’s Priority Services Register would have bottled water delivered, with bottled water stations expected to be established.
Thousands affected – but supplies beginning to return
South East Water initially reported that the burst was a different pipe from the one which failed on Shipbourne Road last Saturday.
In an update at 9.44am, the company said it had managed to restore supplies to 2,169 customers by redirecting water around the network.
However, 1,314 properties were still experiencing low pressure or no water.
South East Water said repairs were getting underway and that it was arranging a bottled water station, initially planned to open at 10.30am.
By 10.02am, the company confirmed that a bottled water station was open at:
Tonbridge Sports Club, TN10 3HZ – (Matt Boughton has since confirmed water is available at Longmead. )
South Easter Water also said deliveries were being made to customers in the affected area who are registered on its Priority Services Register.
South East Water has apologised to customers experiencing low pressure or no water and said further updates would be provided as the repair progresses.
‘Burst water main, here we are again’
Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council Leader Matt Boughton visited the scene this morning and reported on the situation.
Describing what he saw, Mr Boughton said:
“Burst water main, here we are again.”
He said the positive news for affected households was that supplies were already beginning to return for some customers, although not everyone had their water back.
Mr Boughton also said he had been told by engineers at the scene that the latest incident appeared to be less serious than last week’s burst.
He said local representatives had asked South East Water to ensure that residents on the Priority Services Register received bottled water and that water collection points were made available.
Second Shipbourne Road incident in a week
The latest outage comes only days after a major burst water main on Shipbourne Road caused significant disruption across Tonbridge.
That earlier incident, which began on Saturday 1 August, affected thousands of homes and required engineers to work around the clock. South East Water said that repair was complicated by equipment failure and the need to work around nearby high-voltage cables.
The company confirmed on Monday morning, 3 August, that the repair had been completed and supplies were being gradually restored. The incident also resulted in the closure of Shipbourne Road while repairs to the road were carried out.
The new burst is understood to involve a different pipe, despite being on the same road.
And the Shipbourne Road incident was not the only recent water supply problem in the area. On 4 August, South East Water reported a separate burst on Whistler Road, which resulted in a water outage affecting some residents on Higham Lane.
The series of incidents means some Tonbridge residents have faced multiple water supply problems in the space of little more than a week.
Tonbridge Pride taking place today
Today’s disruption is also taking place on the same day as Tonbridge Pride, with the town centre high street due to be closed for the event.
Mr Boughton noted the additional impact of today’s water outage alongside the planned town-centre road closures.
Residents affected by the water outage are being advised to monitor South East Water’s latest updates. Customers on the Priority Services Register in the affected area are being prioritised for bottled water deliveries.
At the time of publication, South East Water had confirmed that 1,314 properties remained affected by low pressure or no water, although supplies were continuing to be restored through the network.
The cause of the latest burst and how long full supplies will take to return have not yet been confirmed.
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