Some households in East Sussex have had no water on Christmas Day after supplier Southern Water experienced a problem while trying to restore service following a burst water main.
Southern Water blamed “very low levels” at Fairlight reservoir, adding that the facility had “now reached its final reserves”.
Areas affected included TN34, TN35, TN37 and TN38, with customers living at higher elevations more likely to be hit.
The utility company said: “We’re sorry customers in Hastings may currently be experiencing low pressure and, in some cases, a temporary loss of water supply.
“We understand how disruptive this can be, especially at this time of year, and we’re doing everything we can to restore supplies as quickly as possible.”
Southern Water said it had reports of low pressure or intermittent supply from fewer than 100 customers in Hastings.
The incident follows reports on Tuesday morning of a burst mains pipe in a woodland north of Hastings, which the company had raced to fix before supplies cut out over Christmas.
A short power outage on Thursday at Brede water supply works then affected the remaining levels in the Fairlight reservoir.
It is not the first time burst pipes have caused an outage in the area. Hastings residents were left without water for four days in May 2024 after a pipe burst, which was flagged for replacement in 2007 but never fixed. Multiple pipes in the Hastings area have previously been listed by the company as “aged assets prone to failure”.
A bottled water station in Pelham Place car park on Carlisle Parade in Hastings was open until 10pm on Christmas Day.
Southern Water has deployed a fleet of tankers to inject water into the network and the reservoir, saying: “This process takes time, but we’re already seeing gradual improvements.”
The problems are expected to be “temporary”, the supplier said, adding: “If you do have water, please use it responsibly, as reservoir levels remain low and demand is very high.”
Helena Dollimore, the Labour MP for Hastings and Rye, said: “I’m angry that Hastings once again is paying the price for the failures of Southern Water.
“Our town’s water infrastructure is not fit for purpose after years of neglect, and Southern Water must do better.
“I am pushing Southern Water to get us back in supply as quickly as possible and minimise the impact on residents by supplying bottled water and opening plenty of water stations.
“I’m also asking them to supply extra water to our pubs and restaurants who are particularly busy at this time of year. Once we are through this incident, Southern Water must get their act together.
“After a major five-day water outage last May when the same pipe burst, and an environmental disaster last month when millions of plastic beads escaped their wastewater plant, we cannot endure any more.”
