Ministers holding emergency meetings as 17,000 properties remain without water

South East Water staff hand out bottled water at a water station in Maidstone (Gareth Fuller/PA) - (PA Wire)

Ministers are holding emergency daily meetings as 17,000 properties remain without drinking water across Kent and Sussex, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

South East Water (SEW) has blamed the latest supply failure, which comes after a similar incident in December, on Storm Goretti causing burst pipes and power cuts.