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Thousands of homes in southeast England were left without water or suffered low pressure during a record-breaking heat wave this week, as high demand following a dry spring exposed the failings of Britain’s infrastructure.
The outage has affected more than 20,000 people, including around 8,000 left without water in the coastal town of Whitstable, according to South East Water incident manager Matthew Dean, and people queuing for emergency water on Friday.
Britain, like much of Europe, was hit by a heat wave last week, demanding more water, while below-average rainfall levels in March and April left some reservoirs under pressure, according to the Environment Agency.
Anger has built up in recent years over the lack of investment in networks by private water companies, which has led to frequent sewage spills.
In Whitstable, many businesses are forced to close during the busiest week of the year, which coincides with the school holidays.
Temperatures hit record highs in London as residents battled heatwaves across large parts of the United Kingdom.
“If you can’t wash your hands, you can’t make food,” said surprised shop owner Mark Kidd, noting that tropical parts of the world have managed to maintain water.
Local resident George said he blamed local supplier South East Water, which is already under investigation by regulator Orwat, for cutting off parts of its network earlier this year.
“I don’t want there to be water companies that start blaming climate change or their use for their lack of money,” he said.
Description of South East Water
South East Water has apologized for the shortage, saying the extremely high temperatures had created too much demand. It said it was experiencing “low storage” despite planning for warmer temperatures.
The company, which supplies drinking water to nearly 2.3 million customers, said it pumped 628 million gallons on Wednesday — about 100 million more than the seasonal average — reflecting the high temperatures.
Britain, like France, recorded its hottest May day on record during the heat wave, with temperatures above 34 C, according to the national weather service.
Experts say dry spells followed by short bursts of extreme heat are becoming more likely as global temperatures rise, making it difficult for water companies to balance supply and demand.
Emma Hardy, under secretary for water and flooding in the UK, said on Friday that water companies should prepare for more frequent periods of extreme heat. The independent Committee on Climate Change has warned the country will face hotter and hotter summers and adaptation will require around 11 billion pounds (about $20.5 billion) a year in investment.
