Find local news in Kent

Home   Medway   News   Article

Brown tap water reported by Southern Water in Borstal and Rochester area

12:44, 22 May 2024

updated: 11:12, 23 May 2024

Residents raised concerns after reporting a brown and discoloured water supply in their homes.

Those living in Borstal and Rochester had murky tap and toilet water yesterday (May 22).

One resident, of Warden Road, Rochester has brown and murky tap water
One resident, of Warden Road, Rochester has brown and murky tap water

Southern Water had put out a “Brown Water” incident on their website for people in the ME1 and ME4 postcode area but today confirmed the “discolouration has been cleared”.

In posts on Facebook, residents in Rochester had said their “tap water is discoloured” while another described “cloudy yellow water after flushing the toilet which is normally clear”.

One resident in Warden Road, who wished to stay anonymous, told KentOnline: “My water is coming out brown, this is the third time this year.

“I had to buy bottled water from Asda as I have a disabled daughter and a dog so I can’t chance them drinking dirty water.”

She added that Southern Water had told her to keep her water running, however, she is unable to do this due to her water meter.

The resident, has now confirmed the water has returned to a normal colour, after Southern Water attended her property at 4.30pm yesterday to “flush it all through”.

A spokesperson for Southern Water said: “We have had no more customer contacts regarding this.

“We believe the discolouration has been cleared from the network.”

In its incident report online the company had said: “Brown water – this may be due to iron deposits that have built up in the water main and have been dislodged due to a change in pressure and flow.

“Your water should run clear shortly but avoid washing laundry while the water is discoloured.

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More