Isle of Sheppey still without water after two pipes burst

Thousands of people on the Isle of Sheppey have been left without water for a second day as temperatures rise.

A Southern Water main burst on Tuesday morning, prompting the company to set up bottled water collection points.

A second pipe burst overnight, which has delayed getting the water back on for 24,000 homes and forced the closure of 12 schools.

A water company spokesman said: "Repairs are complete and we're slowly starting to refill the network.

"Providing things go according to plan, we hope to have you back in supply late this evening."

All Kent County Council public buildings, including schools, libraries and children's centres, will remain closed until supply is restored.

Six tankers are supplying water to critical parts of the island's infrastructure, such as Sheppey Community Hospital.

Kent Police said it has been assisting partners by helping to manage traffic, "thereby also helping to facilitate the delivery of water to the stations".

The A249 Sheppey Crossing northbound has been closed to facilitate the installation of temporary water pumps, Kent Highways said.

Water is also being delivered to those on Southern Water's priority services register.

However, one resident, Laura Forsey, said: "Southern Water are not supplying all priority homes with water. Water points have no water. We are in dire need of water and yet they are not trying hard enough to deliver it."

Another resident, Lisa Peeke, described the situation as an "absolute disgrace".

"I am on priority register and have not had any water delivered. I only have three jugs left for a family of four," she added.

Gordon Henderson, MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, said: "It's an appalling situation. I share the frustrations and concerns of the people of Sheppey."

Keith Sentinella-Jones, from Age UK Sheppey, said the charity has had to close its day centres, which are a focal point for many in the local community.

"Sometimes that's the only hot meal they get during the day," he said.

The outage comes during a hot weather warning which is expected to stay in place until Tuesday.

Three water station sites have been set up on the island, Southern Water said they would be open until midnight and then reopen at 07:00 BST on Thursday.

They are at Promenade car park in Leysdown-on-Sea, Tesco Bridge Road in Sheerness and Minster Working Men's Club in Union Road.

The Southern Water spokesman was unable to give a specific timescale on when water would be restored, but said: "We have teams on site 24/7."

He added: "Thank you to the community for their understanding and patience during this difficult time, and to our partner agencies, including the emergency services, who are helping with this effort."

Three prisons on the island - Elmley, Swaleside and Standford Hill - have their own water reserves and are unaffected by the leak, a Ministry of Justice spokeswoman confirmed.

On Tuesday, a director from South East Water urged people only to use water for "essential" reasons as it was struggling to keep up with demand.

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