Record-breaking heat and dry spring leave parts of England without water
Parts of southeast England are experiencing significant water supply issues due to a record-breaking heatwave and a dry spring. Over 20,000 people were affected, with many businesses in Whitstable forced to close. The situation has raised concerns about the aging infrastructure of water companies and their lack of investment in maintaining supply systems.
- ▪Thousands of households in southeast England faced low water pressure or complete outages during a heatwave.
- ▪South East Water reported that over 8,000 residents in Whitstable were left without water.
- ▪Experts warn that climate change is making extreme heat and dry periods more common, complicating water supply management.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Record-breaking heat and dry spring leave parts of England without waterSign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inboxPublished May 29, 2026, 08:19 PMUpdated May 29, 2026, 08:19 PMWHITSTABLE, England May 29 - Thousands of households in southeast England were left without water or facing low pressure during a record-breaking heatwave this week, as high demand followed a dry spring to expose the failings in Britain's ageing infrastructure.The disruption affected over 20,000 people at its height, including around 8,000 left without supply in the coastal town of Whitstable, South East Water's incident manager Matthew Dean said, with people queuing to secure emergency water supplies on Friday.Britain, like much of Europe, has been hit by a heatwave in the last week, stoking demand…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Straits Times — World.