Water will be restored to thousands of homes in Kent after five days, but must be boiled before drinking, the water company has said.

South East Water (SEW) has issued a “boil water notice” for 24,000 homes in and around Tunbridge Wells, who have experienced a loss of water or low pressure since Saturday evening.

On Wednesday the company said the “water quality issues” which caused the initial shutdown had returned.

They have decided to continue pumping water so that people can flush their toilets and shower, but the water cannot be drunk without being boiled first.

Water will return to the 24,000 affected homes from midday, SEW said.

SEW’s head of water quality, Dr Neil Hudson, said: “We regularly test our network to make sure the water we provide is safe for you to drink.

“After re

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