Key water main bursts: Residents asked to only use essential water

The water main which burst connects a water treatment works to a drinking water storage tank in the Newhaven area. This meant that South East Water were unable to keep water levels within the drinking water tank topped up, which could have resulted in customers in the Newhaven and Peacehaven area experiencing low pressure or no water during the evening.

Matthew Dean, South East Water’s Head of Operations for Sussex, said “I would like to thank our customers for responding to our calls to only use water for essential use during the afternoon as every tap turned off and washing machine not used, helped keep supplies flowing that little bit longer.

“A bottled water station was set up and we proactively delivered water to those customers most in need on our Priority Services Register. The repair completed at 7pm and we were able to begin refilling the storage tank. Some customers may have experienced intermittent supplies for a short period during the evening. Although supplies have returned to normal, customers may see our technicians out and about today removing any trapped air from the network.

“If anyone experiences cloudy or discoloured water coming from their taps, they shouldn’t be alarmed as this is normal following an interruption to supply and poses no risk to health. All customers need to do is run their cold water tap until the water turns clear. More information can be found here.”