Thousands of residents across parts of Kent have been left without water after critical equipment was “significantly damaged” at a water treatment works.

Homes in Kings Hill, Wateringbury, Yalding, West Kingsdown, Borough Green, Hadlow and Five Oak Green are facing either no supply or extremely low water pressure, following what South East Water described as a major incident caused by flooding after a burst pipe.

The water company said teams worked through the night to repair the damage, but the scale of the issue means there is still no estimated time for when supplies will return to normal.

In a statement, South East Water said: “Our teams worked throughout the night repairing equipment which has been significantly damaged by flooding following a burst pipe at one of our water treatment works. We’re sorry to anyone in and around Kings Hill, Wateringbury, Yalding, West Kingsdown, Borough Green, Hadlow and Five Oak Green who may be experiencing no water or low pressure because of this.

“Our specialist teams are working throughout today to repair the equipment, but due to the extent of the damage, we still don’t have a time for when supplies will be restored.”

To help alleviate the disruption, tankers have been deployed to inject water directly into the area’s drinking water storage tanks, which have helped maintain limited supplies for some residents. However, many households remain without access to water.

A bottled water station was opened at 9am at the Kings Hill Asda, with a second site expected to be set up later today. South East Water is also continuing to deliver bottled water directly to vulnerable residents registered on its Priority Services Register – including those who are medically dependent on water or unable to travel.

The company has apologised for the inconvenience and assured customers it is working as quickly as possible to resolve the issue.