Tunbridge Wells water outage: Govt must deploy national resources including army if needed to avoid public health crisis, says Davey

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

Responding to the water outage affecting thousands of homes in Kent, which is now in its fourth day, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

“The water outage in Tunbridge Wells has become an emergency, and we are calling on the Secretary of State to deploy national resources, including army personnel if needed, to help on the ground.

“GPs and schools have had to shut, vulnerable people, including in care homes, are unable to get access to any water and people are having to queue for hours at water distribution sites. The Government must urgently step in to stop this situation from becoming a public health crisis.

“Just three years ago the people of Tunbridge Wells endured days without water over Christmas, and yet no lessons have been learnt. Local MP Mike Martin has been working hard to help residents and hold South East Water to account for their woeful response to this crisis, and I back his call for CEO David Hinton to stand down for his failure of leadership.”

ENDS