Thousands of households across Kent county in the United Kingdom (UK) remain without tap water or face low pressure after a heatwave pushed demand to "critical levels."
South East Water said about 8,000 customers in the Whitstable area were hit after nearby reservoirs dropped to critical levels due to "extremely high demand."
The firm expects supplies to return later on Friday, but warned that water may be patchy over the weekend.
A further 7,000 households in Tankerton, Ashford and surrounding areas are also experiencing low pressure or intermittent supply.
Another 7,000 homes are reportedly at risk of losing supply altogether on Thursday.
The company has urged customers to stop using jet washers, hosepipes, paddling pools and sprinklers.
"We are continuing to ask customers in supply to use water for essential purposes only, for drinking, washing and cooking.
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"We have bottled water collection stations already set up and are monitoring," said Matthew Dean, head of operations control.
Tankers are being used to pump extra water into the network in the worst-hit areas.
The scale of the problem has grown sharply since Monday, when South East Water said around 250 properties were affected.
The firm said it had prepared for hot weather, but demand was still outstripping its ability to treat and pump water.
On Bank Holiday Monday, reports said, 670 million litres were used across its area which is a 100 million litres above the average.
The outage comes weeks after South East Water chief executive Dave Hinton quit earlier this month, a week after the company’s chairman stepped down following calls from MPs for a change of leadership.
Hinton, who led the firm since 2020, had previously said he would take no bonus in 2026 after a separate outage late last year left tens of thousands without water for two weeks in the Tunbridge Wells area.
A report by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee described the company as "devoid of proper leadership" and "riddled with cultural problems."
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