The story is a depressingly familiar one: from bank holiday Monday, thousands of homes in Kent had no water all last week (‘They’re a private company, run for profit!’: fury in Kent at South East Water’s outages, 28 May). This on the hottest week of the year so far. No water for drinking, flushing toilets, washing hands, bathing or cleaning, let alone sprinklers in the garden.
Vulnerable and elderly people and families were forced to queue in the searing heat for bottled water at water stations. Those on priority lists did not received promised deliveries and had to rely on the kindness of friends and families. In Whitstable, the first hot week of the summer promised profit. Instead, cafes, pubs, famed oyster bars and leisure centres were forced to close, resulting in thousands of pounds being lost from the local economy.
