Boil water alert as 24,000 homes in Tunbridge Wells area lose supply again

Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, has just been
questioning the Sir Keir Starmer about the water crisis at Prime Minister’s
Questions.

Here is what they had to say:

Sir Ed: “Yesterday, I was in Royal
Tunbridge Wells, where tens of thousands of people have had no water for five
days.

“This is now a public health emergency, and shockingly,
it’s the second time in just three years when South East Water have let down
the people of Tunbridge Wells badly.

“Parents are queuing up for bottled water for their
kids. Pensioners are relying on neighbours to fetch some water for them.
Businesses have closed down; schools and GPs have been forced to shut.

“South East Water said it will be sorted on Monday,
then yesterday and today it still hasn’t been sorted. So, will the prime
minister convene Cobra? Does he agree that it’s time for him to get a grip of
this crisis, so it is sorted?”

Sir Keir: “Can I thank him for raising this
really important issue, and it is shocking for all the reasons he set out.

“I too have heard South East Water say, as he rightly
says, actually Sunday into Monday, Monday into Tuesday, and Tuesday into
Wednesday, that they were sorting it – and they still haven’t sorted it.

“There’s really serious consequences and we are bearing down
on that as he would expect because it’s such a serious issue.”

Sir Ed thanked the prime minister for his reply
and for the actions of the water minister, but added: “I do think the
government will need to do more because South East Water have failed so
badly.”