Precautionary boil water notice

Water supplied by our Pembury water treatment works may not currently meet strict drinking water standards. We're working 24/7 to fix this.

In the meantime, as a precaution, customers should boil and then cool their tap water for drinking, preparing food, washing up, brushing teeth and wiping down kitchen surfaces.

For advice on babies, young children, breastfeeding mothers, and other vulnerable groups, please see separate FAQs below.

You should allow the boiled water to cool before putting it into the fridge.

Cooled boiled water, stored in clean, sealed containers in the fridge, will last for 24 hours.

To reduce wastage, please only boil, cool and store in the fridge enough water for you to use each day.

No, you should allow the boiled water to cool before putting it into the fridge.

Cooled boiled water, stored in clean, sealed containers in the fridge, will last for 24 hours.

To reduce wastage, please only boil, cool and store in the fridge enough water for you to use each day.

Boil water notices are implemented quickly as a precaution for safety.

A boil water notice is put in place either as a precautionary measure (for example, if a water main has been damaged and debris might have entered the supply) or when regular samples show something is not right. Samples are analysed at our laboratory in Farnborough, Hampshire.

We will advise all impacted customers when water is safe to drink again without boiling (and letting it cool). However, this boil water notice is likely to be in place for a minimum of ten days. This is to allow sufficient time to:

• undertake all required work at our Pembury water treatment works, ensuring the process is working as it should
• conduct rigorous water quality testing across all affected areas, as per our regulatory requirements
• allow all the water that required boiling during this notice period to pass through the network

The boil water notice is in place until further notice.

We anticipate this will be at least 10 days from when the safety advice was put in place to allow sufficient time to get Pembury water treatment works back to full working order.

Text and email updates are sent to every registered customer in the area where the boil water notice is in effect. If you did not receive anything, it is likely because outdated contact information is held or you may not be the main bill payer on the account.

You can sign up for updates by text here(opens in a new tab) or to update your account contact information, please log into your My Account here.

The cost of boiling an average kettle in the UK is 6p, depending on the energy tariff you are on*. We expect the impact on your energy bill to be minimal and appreciate your understanding as we work hard to restore the quality of your water supply.

*USwitch(opens in a new tab) - average UK tariff of 26.35p per kWh

Hot drink vending machines are not recommended unless the water is heated to at least 70°C.

If the manufacturer cannot guarantee this, the machine should be turned off and disconnected from the mains water supply.

Cold drinks from vending machines should not be used unless they are in a can or bottle. When the boil water notice is lifted, the machine must be cleaned and filters replaced according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Food handlers should wash their hands normally with hot tap water and liquid soap, then rinse their hands in cooled boiled water before thoroughly drying them on a clean towel or paper towel.

Alternatively, those involved in food preparation may wear appropriate gloves.

Bottled water is not recommended as it is cold water.

Children and residents should be offered cooled boiled water or bottled water.

The same general advice that applies to domestic customers is applicable here: all water intended for drinking and food preparation must be boiled and cooled as necessary.

This advice covers schools, playgroups, nurseries, care homes, nursing homes, and residential institutions.

The only exception is if a nursery is making baby formula. This can be done with boiled tap water or boiled bottled water, however, some bottled water types may not be suitable for baby formula due to high salt levels (preferable sodium chloride concentrations are less than 20mg/l, but not more than 200mg/l).

All bottled water provided by South East Water from a bottled water station, or that we deliver to your house or premises, is safe to use for baby formula. Any bottled water that you purchase, please check the sodium chloride concentrations before using for baby formula.

All water should be boiled and cooled to no less than 70°C when making up baby formula.

Precautions should be taken to minimise the ingestion of drill bit cooling water.

Mouth rinses should be made using boiled water that has been cooled. Dentists usually have a separate tank for drill water, and the mains water supply feed to this tank can be turned off.

The tank should then be cleaned (drained, refilled, cleaned thoroughly using brushes, drained again, and refilled).

Unboiled tap water is safe for flushing toilets, laundry, showering, and bathing.

The only exception is for babies, young children and breastfeeding mothers where we recommend using cooled boiled water for bathing.

This is necessary as a precaution if children are likely to put their hands or toys in their mouth while bathing and where babies feed in contact with the mother's cleaned skin.

If this is not possible for babies and young children, we recommend using a sponge or flannel to wash babies and young children to prevent them from swallowing bathwater.

No, you should never drink water from the hot tap.

The kitchen cold tap is typically the only tap directly connected to the mains supply and the only one that should normally be used for drawing water for drinking and cooking.

You should never prepare food or drinks for consumption using water from a hot tap.

You should dispose of any ice cubes that were made using unboiled water since the boil water notice was issued at 12 midday on Wednesday, 3 December 2025.

Ice making machines should be disconnected from the mains water supply. When the boil water notice is lifted, the machine should be cleaned and any filters replaced according to the manufacturer’s instructions before using it again.

It is recommended to use a detergent to remove grease/fat and then use a sanitiser on surfaces.

If using tap water, it must be boiled and then cooled before cleaning down any surfaces where you prepare food.

It is recommended to use cooled boiled water to bathe babies and young children. This is necessary as a precaution if children are likely to put their hands or toys in their mouth while bathing. If this is not possible, we recommend using a sponge or flannel to wash babies and young children to prevent them from swallowing bathwater.

We also recommend mothers who are breastfeeding to bathe in cooled, boiled water, as a precaution for babies feeding and the contact with the mother's cleaned skin.

It is recommended that cooled boiled water is used to bathe open wounds.

It's important to contact the NHS about any health concerns. For further advice contact NHS 111 online(opens in a new tab) or visit the Stop, Think, Choose website(opens in a new tab) to get the right treatment when you need it.

Dialysis patients registered on our Priority Service Register will be provided with an alternative supply of bottled water while the boil water notice is in place. If you need to be added to the register, contact 0800 952 4000(opens in a new tab).

Extra care will be needed by all patients with handwashing and/or clean down of equipment.

Specific guidance for patients having home dialysis:

Home Haemodialysis – without a clean suitable supply of mains water, contact your dialysis team to make alternative dialysis arrangements.
Home PD – check with your dialysis team, as your dialysis is self-contained there may be no changes necessary.

You can also contact Kidney Care UK for advice and support, via the Support Line 0808 801 0000.

The boil water notice in place from 12 midday on Wednesday, 3 December 2025 is a precautionary boil water notice.

There is no evidence that the water is contaminated but we cannot currently meet the stringent regulatory requirements required to provide drinking water.

There is very low risk for healthy individuals, however if you have consumed unboiled water, it's important to contact the NHS about any health concerns.

Contact NHS 111 online(opens in a new tab) or visit the Stop, Think, Choose website(opens in a new tab) to get the right treatment when you need it.

If you are already registered on our Priority Service Register, we will already be aware of your needs. If you need to be added to the register, contact 0800 952 4000(opens in a new tab).

It's important to contact the NHS about any health concerns. Contact NHS 111 online(opens in a new tab) or visit the Stop, Think, Choose website(opens in a new tab) to get the right treatment when you need it.

The vulnerability of all groups has been considered in our advice.

Please check in on any vulnerable neighbours to make sure they have an alternative supply of water.

Extensive testing has given no reason for pets not to be able to drink the tap water, so this is unlikely.

If in doubt, we would advise you to use water that has been boiled and then cooled. If you use water for topping up household aquaria or fish tanks please treat it in the usual way to remove chlorine.